On this All Hallow’s Eve, ghouls and goblins won’t be the only ones seen hitting the streets of Canarsie.
Local gangs may be stirring up a fright as well, police said.
Cops in Canarsie recently warned area residents to be mindful of this when they take their kids trick-or-treating this Saturday.
“[Halloween] is a big day for gang activity,” Captain Milt Marmara, the commanding officer of the 69th Precinct, recently told members of the Informed Voices of Canarsie. “A lot of initiations take place.”
Marmara said that so far, his officers haven’t received any intelligence about gang meet ups this Halloween.
“It may not happen here,” he said. “But we’re going to be prepared.”
The captain warned residents to be wary of large crowds. They should also go trick-or-treating in groups during daylight hours.
Cops from the 69th Precinct will be “out in force” on Halloween to crack down on any sinister shenanigans, he said.
Marmara has been trying to keep the neighborhood’s growing gang problem in check ever since he took command over a year and a half ago.
During his first few months as commander, cops from the 69th Precinct were called to quash a “gang conclave” that erupted at the Canarsie Pier.
Since then, Marmara has kept a vigilant eye on gang activity, which has dropped over the last year.
Yet while gang activity is down, Canarsie is still home to dozens of gang members, he said.
“There are gang members in the 69th Precinct and there was some gang activity last year,” Marmara explained. “But ever since we started identifying gang members and coordinating our efforts with the gang unit, we have been very successful.”
“We’ve been tracking our bad guys and gang incidents are down, along with shootings,” said Marmara, adding that cops are also paying more attention to gang recruitment at local schools.
“It all starts in the schools, but if someone is flying colors, we’re going to know about it,” he said. “According to our intelligence, we haven’t seen any blatant recruitment in the area.”
Marmara’s warning about gang activity on Halloween comes as detectives linked a recent slaying to the ongoing battle between the Bloods and the Crips.
Officials said that 17-year-old Dudzinskis Dudenas was gunned down near the corner of East 96th Street and Flatlands Avenue last Tuesday.
Cops were told by witnesses that Dudenas was flashing gang colors and making gang signs before he was killed.
Investigators would not disclose which gang they believe the 17-year-old was affiliated with.