Governor Cuomo Announces $13.3 Million to Fight Gun Violence Across New York State

• by Urban CNY News
• May 26, 2015

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that law enforcement agencies in 17 counties participating in the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative will receive $13.3 million to target gun violence and save lives. Now entering its second year, the initiative requires the use of proven strategies to reduce shootings and firearm-related homicides in communities served by 20 police departments in those counties. “This administration has worked tirelessly to combat gun violence in New York and prevent the needless tragedy that comes with it,” Governor Cuomo said. “Through the GIVE initiative, we are giving law enforcement agencies more resources necessary to fight gun violence in our streets in order to save lives and make communities across this state safer.” GIVE funding targets communities served by the Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Hempstead, Jamestown, Kingston, Middletown, Mount Vernon, Nassau County, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Schenectady, Spring Valley, Suffolk County, Syracuse, Troy, Utica and Yonkers police departments. District attorneys’ offices, probation departments and sheriffs’ offices in the 17 counties, which report 87 percent of the violent crime outside of New York City, also receive funding through the initiative. New York State created GIVE a year ago, revamping a decade-old program that provided funding to the same agencies and counties to foster the use of data analysis, intelligence and partnerships to fight crime. Under GIVE, participating agencies must build upon that framework and implement evidence-based strategies proven to reduce gun violence. Administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, the initiative also provides agencies with extensive training from national experts to help them effectively implement those strategies. Michael C. Green, executive deputy commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice Services, said, “New York State stands alone in our commitment to funding evidence-based efforts to combat gun violence and our corresponding commitment to providing comprehensive, hands-on training from nationally recognized experts. Funding is critical, but it is equally important to provide agencies with information and resources so they can implement proven strategies as intended. We remain committed to working with our GIVE partners to help save lives and look forward to providing additional training as we move ahead with the second year of GIVE.” This second round of funding, coupled with free and ongoing technical assistance, will allow agencies to further integrate the following strategies into their daily operations: · Hot-spots policing, which uses data such as incident reports, calls for service and other information about areas of persistent criminal activity, allowing agencies to focus their resources in areas where crime is more likely to occur in order to target, reduce and prevent it. · Focused deterrence, in which law enforcement identifies chronic offenders and targets them for enhanced attention, enforcement and prosecution. Also key to the approach is a partnership among law enforcement agencies, community groups and social services organizations, which join together to communicate directly with offenders, outlining clear consequences for continued criminal behavior. · Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which identifies how buildings, vacant lots, traffic patterns and other environmental factors in a neighborhood may influence criminal activity; and · Street outreach workers, who work in specific communities to interrupt cycles of violence or prevent retaliation. The strategy also includes case managers, whose role is to connect individuals involved in violence with resources to help them change their behavior. The GIVE funding cycle begins July 1, 2015, and ends June 30, 2016, with agencies eligible for one, one-year extension. The grants fund personnel, such as prosecutors and crime analysts, as well as overtime and equipment. In addition to monitoring crime trends and grant funding and evaluating agencies’ progress, the Division of Criminal Justice Services will continue its comprehensive technical assistance program, coordinating regional workshops and networking opportunities as well as county- and/or agency- specific training. Agencies will share a total of $13,330,467; Onondaga County’s allotment is $1,150,520 to implement the following evidence-based strategies: Onondaga County: The Syracuse Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $1,150,520. Hot-spots policing, focused deterrence and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (www.criminaljustice.ny.gov) 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 states 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.