Governor Cuomo Announces More than $13.2 Million to Reduce Shootings and Firearm-related Homicides Across the State

LongIsland.com

Law enforcement agencies in 17 counties receive funding through the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative.

Print Email

Albany, NY - May 1, 2014 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that law enforcement agencies in 17 counties will receive a total of more than $13.2 million to reduce shootings and firearm-related homicides. The funding is allocated through the State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, which is designed to aid local law enforcement agencies located in communities that experience high rates of violent crime.

“The state is working to reduce gun violence and make New York’s communities safer for all,” Governor Cuomo said. “Through the GIVE initiative, we are partnering with local law enforcement agencies to address the causes of violent crime, reduce shootings, and bring offenders to justice. This funding will help ensure safer communities for millions of New Yorkers, and I am proud to be supporting the men and women who work to keep our streets safe.”

GIVE builds upon Operation IMPACT, which was launched a decade ago to provide law enforcement agencies in 17 counties Upstate and on Long Island with additional resources to fight violent crime. Like Operation IMPACT, GIVE focuses on communities served by 20 law enforcement agencies that collectively report 86 percent of the violent crime in the state outside of New York City. Those law enforcement agencies are the police departments in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Hempstead, Jamestown, Kingston, Middletown, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Schenectady, Spring Valley, Syracuse, Troy and Yonkers, as well as Nassau and Suffolk counties.
 

Agencies are refining their crime-fighting focus under GIVE and have submitted targeted strategies in response to a request for applications issued by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Those strategies shape how the agencies will reduce shootings and homicides by building on information sharing and partnerships developed under Operation IMPACT, expanding crime analysis and engaging communities in the fight against gun violence.

Agency also must incorporate the use of evidence-based strategies to attack gun crime, including targeting known offenders and people considered responsible for the most gun violence in a community and identifying locations that have been shown to be the most prone to gun violence.

Crime-fighting strategies vary by jurisdiction and include, but are not limited to: enhanced patrols in identified “hot spots,” focused deterrence against violent gangs and groups, increased supervision of individuals on parole and probation and the deployment of street outreach workers to interrupt cycles of violence or prevent retaliation. The grants fund personnel, such as prosecutors and crime analysts, in addition to overtime, equipment, training and community outreach.

DCJS will administer the grants, evaluate the agencies' progress over the course of the funding cycle (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015) and provide ongoing technical assistance to help ensure GIVE partner agencies are effectively implementing evidence-based strategies.

The following agencies received a total of $13,226,723 in funding, which was awarded competitively:

  • Erie County: The Buffalo Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department and Central Police Services will share $1,671,217.
  • Monroe County: The Rochester Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $1,646,920. 
  • Westchester County: The Yonkers and Mount Vernon police departments and District Attorney’s Office, Department of Public Safety and Probation Department will share $1,320,335.
  • Onondaga County: The Syracuse Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $1,216,934.
  • Suffolk County: The Suffolk County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Probation Department and Crime Laboratory will share $1,116,067.
  • Nassau County: The Nassau County and Hempstead police departments and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $1,013,644. The Freeport Police Department also will receive funding because of its participation in the county's Lead Development Center.
  • Albany County: The Albany Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $857,988.
  • Schenectady County: The Schenectady Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $743,866. 
  • Orange County: The Newburgh (city) Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $716,777.
  • Niagara County: The Niagara Falls Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $651,797.
  • Rensselaer County: The Troy Police Department and District Attorney’s Office and Probation Department will share $594,158.
  • Oneida County: The Utica Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $433,936.
  • Broome County: The Binghamton Police Department and District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office will share $384,872.
  • Dutchess County: The Poughkeepsie (city) Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $342,512. 
  • Chautauqua County: The Jamestown Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $195,200.
  • Ulster County: The Kingston Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $186,000. 
  • Rockland County: The Spring Valley Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Intelligence Center and Probation Department will share $134,500.

DCJS Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green said, “I spent my career as a prosecutor working with families who lost their sons and daughters to gun violence, and we must prioritize this fight. GIVE builds on the IMPACT partnerships, but focuses on gun violence and will provide our partner agencies with resources and technical assistance to fight gun violence in a smart and proactive way, saving lives and making their communities – and our state – safer.”

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services is a multi-function criminal justice support agency with a variety of responsibilities, including law enforcement training; collection and analysis of statewide crime data; maintenance of criminal history information and fingerprint files; administrative oversight of the state’s DNA databank, in partnership with the New York State Police; funding and oversight of probation and community correction programs; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice-related agencies across the state; and administration of the state’s Sex Offender Registry.