For Immediate Release: 5/6/2021
CONTACT: Janine Kava | janine.kava@dcjs.ny.gov
(518) 457-8906 | (518) 275-5508
Press Office, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
New York State, Binghamton Officials Highlight Expansion of State-Supported Southern Tier Crime Analysis Center
First established in 2012 to serve Broome County, the center is now nearly five times its original size and serves Chenango, Cortland and Otsego counties
Staff assigned to the center also assist any law enforcement agency upon request
New York State and Binghamton officials today showcased the newly expanded, state-supported Southern Tier Crime Analysis Center, one in a network of 10 data- and intelligence-sharing centers operated by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) in partnership with local law enforcement agencies. The center is nearly five times its original size and serves law enforcement agencies in Broome, Chenango, Cortland and Otsego counties, as well as any other police agency or prosecutor’s office upon request.
The center provides investigative support, intelligence development and crime analysis to help law enforcement agencies more effectively solve, reduce and prevent crime. Last year, the staff at the center supported the work of nearly 40 local, state, and federal agencies, distributing 2,331 analytical and intelligence products, an 11 percent increase when compared to 2019. The center’s work resulted in arrests being made in a variety of incidents, including an attempted murder, burglary, hit-and-run crash, and armed robberies.
DCJS Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green, Binghamton Mayor Richard C. David and representatives from law enforcement agencies across the Southern Tier this morning toured the center, which is located in the former Fire Department Headquarters adjacent to Binghamton City Hall.
“New York’s partnership with local law enforcement and its continued investment in staff, facilities and cutting-edge technology has resulted in a Crime Analysis Center Network unlike any other in the country,” Commissioner Green said. “With the support of Governor Cuomo, we have established and maintained a statewide, crime-fighting infrastructure that provides invaluable analysis and intelligence development so police and prosecutors in every region of the state can work more effectively and efficiently.”
The Southern Tier Crime Analysis Center now occupies about 2,800 square feet of space and features a state-of-the-art, 16-foot wide by 4½-foot high video wall to display multiple sources of data and information in real time, such as police dispatch/calls for service, feeds from municipal cameras and crime data.
Binghamton Mayor Richard C. David said, “This expanded crime analysis program will be the regional nerve center for law enforcement intelligence and multi-jurisdictional crime fighting. By using cutting-edge crime data analysis and technology, this space will support efforts to combat drug trafficking and enhance community policing in Binghamton and across the Southern Tier. This project is only possible because of our ongoing partnership with DCJS, which has long been a supporter of improving law enforcement in Binghamton. I thank the state for its commitment to public safety in our region.”
Binghamton Police Chief Joseph T. Zikuski said, “Our thanks to New York State and DCJS for making a substantial investment in law enforcement efforts here in the Southern Tier. The work done at this facility by crime analysts and police personnel will help us solve crimes and focus resources on criminal hot spots. This expansion is a giant leap forward in 21st century policing in Binghamton and across the Southern Tier.”
The renovations allow the center to provide real-time support to police agencies and space for up to 22 crime analysts, investigators and field intelligence officers. The Division of Criminal Justice Services provided approximately $243,000 for technology, furniture and renovations, and also funds, through its Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, three individuals who work at the center.
Currently, eight individuals from the following agencies are assigned to the center: the Binghamton Police Department, Broome County Sheriff’s Office, the New York National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, New York State University Police at Binghamton, and the New York-New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). They will be joined later this month by staff from the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office, Broome County Government Security Division, New York State Police and Vestal Police. The center also is home to Binghamton’s Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Task Force, which analyzes property data and focuses the city’s enforcement agencies to address the physical environments where criminal activity occurs.
A board of directors composed of representatives from DCJS, the State Police, the Binghamton Police Department, Binghamton University Police Department, Broome County District Attorney’s Office, and Broome County Sheriff’s Office oversees the center. The nine other centers in the state’s network also have their own boards of directors.
In addition to Broome County, Crime Analysis Centers are located in Albany, Erie, Franklin, Niagara, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange and Suffolk counties and serve law enforcement agencies in 33 counties and any agency upon request. Requests for assistance from the centers have increased significantly from year to year and 2020 was no exception, despite the COVID-19 global pandemic. Staff at the centers collectively handled nearly 61,500 requests for assistance, a 6 percent increase over 2019, even while working remotely and part time, which allowed centers to reduce occupancy to adhere to social distancing requirements.
New York State invests more than $7 million to support the Crime Analysis Center Network. In addition to being connected to each other, the centers have access to information from a locally supported center in Nassau County. The State Police, state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, state Department of Motor Vehicles, federal Probation Department, among other agencies, also allow the centers to access information they maintain.
The Crime Analysis Centers and staff have been recognized by international and national organizations for their innovative use of technology and quality of their work, including the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts, the Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities, Government Security News, and the International Association of Crime Analysts.
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. Follow the agency on Twitter and Facebook: @NYSPublicSafety.