GANG BUSTERS

State bill calls for crackdown

The Republican-led state Senate is taking aim at MS-13 and the other gangs of New York.

Lawmakers are poised to pass legislation Monday to create an anti-gang curriculum in schools as well as boost criminal penalties for gang-related crimes.

The push for the Criminal Street Gang Enforcement and Prevention Act comes amid a wave of gang violence that has menaced suburban communities on Long Island as well as urban areas.

The El Salvordoran gang MS-13 is linked to 11 killings in Suffolk County over the past year.

In the city, the NYPD and prosecu- tors have been chasing gangbangers responsible for violent crime sprees and drug peddling, particularly in housing projects.

“Gangs are responsible for 30 percent of violent crimes in New York. That is a huge number,” said Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn), author of the bill and a former city cop.

“This is not just an urban problem” he said. “The gang problem affects all regions of the state. I don’t know a legislator who hasn’t gone to a funeral for someone who has died from a drug overdose. Who is responsible for the drug scourge? The gangs.”

For the first time, the legislation legally defines criminal street gangs in New York’s penal statutes, giving prosecutors more options when charging gangbangers. Penalties are increased for gang-related crimes and new felonies are created for individuals who participate or benefit from gang activity and recruit youth or adults to join gangs.

The measure will easily pass the Senate, which has OK’d similar proposals in prior years, only to see them die in the Democratic-run Assembly. But the new bill includes measures to discourage people from joining gangs in the first place, making it more palatable for Assembly liberals.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Gov. Cuomo both recently visited Long Island, vowing a crackdown on gangs such as MS-13.