Middletown tackles growing gang problem

Gangs previously associated with New York City are now well known names in many Hudson Valley communities.
Police in Middletown say an alarming number of kids are now being recruited into gangs. A fight caught on video occurred on Sunnyside Avenue, only a few blocks away from Middletown High School, last year. Middletown Police Sergeant Jerry Mishk believes it was an initiation into the Bloods street gang.
Mishk says he has seen an alarming number of signs the Crips and Latin Kings are in Middletown also. Police say last week, a Latin Kings member shot a 20-year-old in the thigh.
Because kids are joining gangs at such a young age, school resource officers at Middletown High School are keeping an open line of communication with police. A couple of years ago, the school banned gang paraphernalia, such as handkerchiefs. Resource officers are also on the lookout for gang-affiliated tattoos.