When Farmingdale resident Mike Grello went out last Tuesday morning to a local bagel shop, he was disturbed to find two large hits of graffiti on the side and back of Emil's Beauty Salon, located on the north side of Main Street in the Village of Farmingdale. Grello, president of the Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale (CCAF), said he ran into Village Trustee Michael Kelly at the bagel shop and Kelly flagged down a police car to report the blight. Grello thought immediately that the graffiti was a gang tag, and police confirmed his concern.

While the graffiti has since been painted over, it is one of many hits that have recently plagued the village. In addition to the hit at Emil's, Grello noted that graffiti tags were found at Fabio Deli Grocery on Conklin St., as well as the Farmingdale Laundromat, several stop signs in the community and the base of the clock tower on Main Street. Although many of these markings have since been cleaned or painted over, Grello said that this is a problem which cannot be ignored.

According to Village Mayor Joseph Trudden, officials are aware of the problem and are taking aggressive measures against any gang-related incidents in the community. The mayor noted that he has met with 8th Precinct officials in recent weeks and has noticed an increase in police presence in the village. Trudden also said that he had a meeting scheduled with Inspector George Gudmundsen, commanding officer of the 8th Precinct.

Gudmundsen confirmed suspicions that the graffiti may be gang related, and may in fact be connected to a potentially very dangerous gang, known as MS-13.

"There were indications that the graffiti [found] bears some connection to MS-13, which is one of the gangs that is active in the area," Gudmundsen said. "It's obvious that MS-13 or people that are sympathizers had something to do with that but the chances of locating that person are next to nil. For the most part, we have to catch the person in the act. Particularly with gang graffiti, because there's so much of it all over, it's not easy to pinpoint."

MS-13 is a Salvadoran gang that formed in the 1980s in Los Angeles and has since spread to some 30 states across the nation. It is known notoriously as one of the most dangerous gangs around today and has, in recent months, appeared to have filtrated into the community. However, Gudmundsen stressed, while graffiti hits may have increased, gang related crime has not and the issue has to be looked at in perspective.

"I'm concerned as a police commander with any gang activity. The level of gang activity in Farmingdale, while there's a presence of [it], pales in comparison to several other areas within the county," he said. "But any activity is a concern to us so we are aggressively pursuing [and] investigating gang activity and we make arrests where appropriate."

He said that over the past year, there have fortunately been only four arrests he's aware of that have a definite link to gang related crime. Unfortunately, those four arrests were made at Farmingdale High School in early October. Those arrests, however, Gudmundsen said, should not be viewed necessarily as an "increase" in gang violence.

"We did make several arrests on October 3 [but] we view that as a success story," he said. "I don't know that it's an indication of increased activity, [rather] an indication of increased enforcement."

The inspector added that oftentimes the day laborers who congregate in the community are unfairly blamed.

"This is such a complex problem - and it's also related to the day laborer issue. There are a lot of people who have problems with the day laborers in Farmingdale and it's not to say that day laborers are gang members - they certainly are not - but [their presence bothers local residents]. I think it confuses the issue because there are people who look at the day laborers as people who are trying to make a start in the world and there are people who look at them as [undocumented citizens who don't belong in the community]."

Grello, however, believes that the day laborers may in part be to blame.

"Nobody can tell me this isn't related to the day laborers," Grello said. "They're shaking up the guys, intimidating them and getting them to join." Grello added that then initiation practices would start, resulting in an increase in crime. He also said that the day laborers may be to blame because of the communities they are coming from.

"It needs to be kept in perspective," Gudmundsen stressed. "We have seen an uptick in gang graffiti but it's very small compared to other areas ... and not that that's not criminal, but when people think of gangs they often think about stabbings, shootings - and I have not seen any increase in gang criminal activity. It has not been reflected in police reports."

Gudmundsen also noted that police officers have been directed to aggressively deal with the problem. In Farmingdale, the presence of police has been increased whenever possible and store owners are urged to clean up graffiti right away (after reporting it to police) so the problem doesn't get out of hand. He also said that the POP (Problem Oriented Policing) Unit is reaching out to residents as the liaison between the police department and local schools and community.

Mayor Trudden also urges residents and community members to report any suspicious activity.

"If anybody sees any illegal activity, they should call 911. You don't even have to give your name, you can call anonymously," he said.

Gudmundsen said it's also important to educate young people and their parents about the potential danger of gangs. He said that this is what the POP Unit attempts to do through forums and seminars.

"The hope is to keep young people interested in positive activities, to channel their energies into educational and athletic endeavors so that they don't fall into the allure of gangs," he said.

Grello said it's equally important to have seminars held at the schools in the area and noted that parents should be better educated on the issue.

"Parents don't realize how dangerous gangs are," he said, adding that gang members can be people of all colors, genders and races.

"We are dealing with the problem in an aggressive way," said Gudmundsen, who is a member of the Nassau County Gang Taskforce. "Police officers have been directed to aggressively enforce quality of life offenses and all laws that exist. [Gangs are] an area of significant concern [and] we're determined that we're going to suppress gang activity here. We are [being] extra vigilant that way."