Investigators Ask Point Boro Residents to Report Signs of Gangs and Drugs

While gangs, drugs, bias crimes and scams are not as rampant in Point Borough as in some other towns, they are all here and police need the public's help tackling them.

That was the message from Monday night's Community Watch meeting where investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office talked to residents about how they can be more effective in helping their own community.

Sgt. Anthony Carrington, who has been with the prosecutor's office for 17 years, told residents, "There's not a real gang problem here, but they are throughout the county."

He said his office is not aware of a gang presence in the local high school, but that it's important for students, staff and parents to be aware of any signs that may emerge.

Gang members use the internet to recruit new members and that could happen anywhere, said Carrington, who works in the prosecutor's intelligence, homeland security and special projects units.

Touching on a subject that has generated some local buzz lately, he said residents should report to police any graffiti so that police can determine if it's gang related.

Lately, some borough residents have noticed graffiti on a few local banks, stores, signs and even a utility box on Beaver Dam Road and Riviera Parkway.

Carrington said after the meeting that his office has not received any reports from borough police or residents about any of the local graffiti being actual gang tags.

He said residents shouldn't try to figure out for themselves whether graffiti is gang related, but should report it to police who can then investigate and make that determination.

He said the borough police often know the difference between typical graffiti and "gang tags," which often depict certain numbers, words, colors and symbols specific to a certain gang. If police are unsure, they send photographs of the scrawl to the county prosecutor's office.

"And if we're not sure, we send out a blanket email to local, state and federal authorities and let everyone look at it, and we'll get an answer," he said.

Detective Michelle Hill, said after the meeting that residents should call police with any bit of information that might be helpful regarding any suspected gang or drug activity.

"Everything is important to us," she said.

During his talk to the group, Carrington said gangs are not only reaping huge profits from sales of illegal narcotics, like heroin, but also from prescription pain pills.

"That's very lucrative for gangs," he said.

He asked the kids in the room to look out for kids wearing the same colors all the time or on certain days, using a certain handshake only with other kids, all going on the same websites.

"That might be something to look into," he said, adding that the definition of a "gang" is two or more people committing a crime together.

Sgt. Cindy Boyd of the prosecutor's office said any graffiti maligning someone's nationality, skin color, religion, race or sexual orientation is a hate crime and should be reported to police.

"We've had 12-year-olds arrested for doing that," Boyd told the group nearly filling the meeting room at Borough Hall.

Boyd noted recent cases where several students being bullied have committed suicide.

One boy in the audience asked Boyd is he's allowed to defend himself if someone hits him.

"Yes, but always try to get a teacher, or have a friend get a teacher," she said. "But if someone says something to you, and you hit them, you'll get in trouble."

Boyd said she recommends an educational video about bullying called, "Sticks and Stones" that may be available at some branches of the Ocean County library.

Lt. Todd Friedman of the county prosecutor's office, said parents need to talk to their children about the dangers of drugs, both illegal narcotics and prescription pain pills, at a young age.

"We've had kids dealing drugs at 10 years old," he said to a room filled with young girl and boy scouts, in addition to parents and other residents.

"Peer pressure is what makes the kids do it,"  said Friedman, a Point Borough resident.

"The prescription medication problem is everywhere," Friedman said. "Parents need to hide their medication."

Friedman said parents first need to educate their kids about drugs and then the kids need to talk to their parents.

"It starts with you," he said, looking at some of the kids. "You need to tell your parents the truth about what's really going on in school.

"I've come across some great families where the kids are doing drugs," he said. "We've been at multi-million dollar homes serving search warrants because the kids are doing drugs and those are kids that have everything.

"I'm 44 and when I was in high school, the worst thing there was marijuana," Friedman continued. "Now there's heroin in the high schools. And, sometimes, that's the first drug kids do. And just taking it once can kill you."

Friedman said, in response to a question, that synthetic marijuana is in the county.

Friedman urged those at the meeting to call the borough police department with any information about drug use or sales.

"If that doesn't work, you can call our hotline, and you can be anonymous," he said.

The hotline is (732) 244-5996.