The New York Police Department (NYPD) is worried that the violent MS-13 gang will soon start attempting to kill off-duty cops at their homes.
“Intel has been obtained that members of MS13 are looking to ‘hit’ NYPD police officers, specifically in the Brentwood/Central Islip area, as well as possibly Patchogue in order to gain street credibility,” wrote a force-wide bulletin the NYPD disseminated on Tuesday. “These members are conducting reconnaissance of member of service private residences.”
Cops were told to be on the lookout for anything strange and to report suspicious people loitering around their homes.
The NYPD confirmed the report and said that the warning stemmed from intelligence it has received from jailed MS-13 members. “Out of an abundance of caution an officer safety alert was sent of an unverified threat by MS-13 targeting law enforcement,” said the NYPD in a statement.
With a motto of “kill, rape, control,” MS-13 is considered one of the most violent gangs in the United States. Started in the 1980s by Central American immigrants, it was based in Los Angeles before spreading to the east coast.
The threat to start targeting law enforcement officers comes as cops all across Long Island have been fighting the gang in recent years. MS-13 is believed to be behind a slew of murders, rapes, kidnappings, and other crimes.
In a particularly grisly murder earlier this month, a MS-13 member shot and killed a man on a subway platform in Queens in broad daylight before horrified onlookers. A video of the incident subsequently went viral and highlighted the gang’s brutal nature. Police say they have since arrested the trigger man and his accomplice.
