For Immediate Release: 4/7/2016

State of New York | Executive Chamber
Andrew M. Cuomo | Governor

GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES $13.3 MILLION TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE ACROSS NEW YORK STATE

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than $13.3 million in funding for law enforcement agencies to continue fighting gun violence in the 17 counties currently participating in the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination – or GIVE -- initiative. This initiative provides technical assistance, training and funds personnel, such as prosecutors and crime analysts, as well as overtime and equipment.

"We've worked tirelessly to combat gun violence across this state and prevent the senseless tragedies it causes," Governor Cuomo said. "The GIVE initiative gives law enforcement agencies the resources necessary for fighting gun violence in our streets, and helps create a safer and stronger New York for all."

The GIVE initiative targets communities served by 20 police departments in those 17 counties, which report 85 percent of violent crime in the state outside of New York City. This is the second year of a two-year contract, with agencies in those counties receiving the same grant award as last year. The GIVE initiative is administered by the Division of Criminal Justice Services. Its funding cycle begins July 1, 2016, and ends June 30, 2017. Those 20 police departments and their county law enforcement partners – district attorneys' offices, probation departments and sheriffs' offices – receive funding.

The following agencies will receive funding:

• Erie County: The Buffalo Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department and Central Police Services will share $1,750,734.
• Monroe County: The Rochester Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $1,716,578.
• Westchester County: The Yonkers and Mount Vernon police departments and District Attorney’s Office, Department of Public Safety and Probation Department will share $1,253,049.
• Onondaga County: The Syracuse Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $1,150,520.
• Suffolk County: The Suffolk County Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Probation Department and Crime Laboratory will share $1,068,093.
• Nassau County: The Nassau County and Hempstead police departments and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $1,026,707.
• Schenectady County: The Schenectady Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $818,654.
• Albany County: The Albany Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $801,213.
• Orange County: The Newburgh (city) and Middletown police departments and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $753,379.
• Niagara County: The Niagara Falls Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $696,367.
• Oneida County: The Utica Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $591,598.
• Rensselaer County: The Troy Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $559,750.
• Broome County: The Binghamton Police Department and District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office will share $393,944.
• Dutchess County: The Poughkeepsie (city) Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $341,211.

The following agencies are targeting aggravated assaults, which drive violent crime in their respective communities. Kingston and Jamestown police are specifically targeting domestic violence:

• Ulster County: The Kingston Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $179,175.
• Chautauqua County: The Jamestown Police Department and District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department will share $152,495.
• Rockland County: The Spring Valley Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Intelligence Center, and Probation Department will share $77,000.

In addition to funding, the GIVE initiative provides technical assistance and training to participating agencies so they can implement the following evidence-based strategies:

• Hot-spots policing uses data to help law enforcement focus resources in areas where crime is most likely to occur. Police use incident reports, calls for service and other information about areas of persistent criminal activity in order to target, reduce and prevent crime.
• Focused deterrence identifies chronic offenders and targets them for enhanced attention, enforcement and prosecution. Key to this approach is a partnership between law enforcement agencies, community groups and social services organizations to communicate directly with offenders and outline clear consequences for continued criminal behavior.
• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) identifies and attempts to correct the physical attributes of community – buildings, vacant lots, lighting, traffic patterns or other environmental factors – that make certain areas conducive to criminal activity.
• Street outreach programs employ community members who attempt to interrupt cycles of violence or prevent retaliation. This strategy also employs case managers to connect individuals involved in violence with resources to help them change their behavior.

New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green said, "GIVE represents a fundamental change in the way law enforcement agencies combat gun violence, which has persisted in some communities even as crime has decreased dramatically over the past two decades and New York consistently ranks as the safest large state in the nation. We are providing agencies with training, tools and funding to support their use of evidenced-based and data-driven solutions to interrupt and reduce gun violence that has claimed too many lives."

All GIVE partners also are required to integrate procedural justice into their gun violence reduction plan. Procedural justice is designed to enhance police-community relations by ensuring interactions between law enforcement and individuals are fair, and that those who come in contact with police believe they are being treated equitably and respectfully during those encounters.

To assist agencies with the integration of procedural justice into day-to-day operations, DCJS hosted a two-day symposium this past November. Attended by more than 200 law enforcement professionals and community leaders, the symposium offered training and practical information to help them to put procedural justice theory into action. DCJS also coordinates jurisdiction-specific training and the exchange of best practices and promising strategies among all the agencies that participate in GIVE.

New York is unique among states for its work to help ensure that agencies use proven practices to reduce these deadly crimes. Earlier this year, the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance highlighted GIVE and the state’s Results First work to fund programs that are effective and cost-efficient at a national academy for criminal justice researchers and practitioners. Additionally, the National Network for Safe Communities showcased the GIVE initiative at its annual conference last summer.

About the Division of Criminal Justice Services
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 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.

 

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New York State | Executive Chamber |press.office@exec.ny.gov | 518.474.8418