For Immediate Release: 03/24/2023
State of New York | Executive Chamber
Kathy Hochul | Governor
Governor Hochul Announces New Initiative to Help Police and Prosecutors in Five Jurisdictions Solve Non-Fatal Shootings and Prevent Retaliatory Gun Violence
Police Departments in Buffalo, Rochester, Schenectady, Troy and Utica and Their County District Attorneys’ Offices to Share $866,564 in State Funding to Implement Evidence-Based Approaches to Improve Investigations and Save Lives
Demonstration Projects Funded in Newburgh and Utica by the State Division Criminal Justice Services Increased the Clearance Rate of Non-Fatal Shootings in Both Cities
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a new initiative to help police and prosecutors in five jurisdictions solve non-fatal shootings and prevent retaliatory gun violence. Police departments in Buffalo, Rochester, Schenectady, Troy and Utica and their county district attorneys’ offices will share $866,564 in State funding to implement evidence-based approaches to improve investigations and save lives. Demonstration projects funded in Newburgh and Utica by the State Division of Criminal Justice Services increased the clearance rate of non-fatal shootings in both cities.
“As we work to reduce gun violence, it is critical that we solve non-fatal shootings and prevent retaliation in the form of additional gun violence,” Governor Hochul said. “We know that when these crimes are left unsolved, retaliation can turn deadly. This funding provides police and prosecutors the resources they need to solve non-fatal shootings, prevent retaliation and reduce overall gun violence.”
The announcement reflects Governor Hochul’s continued commitment to public safety and crime reduction, while expanding New York State’s comprehensive gun violence prevention strategies. Earlier this week, Governor Hochul announced new statewide crime data and highlighted the need for public safety investments and reforms in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
Law enforcement across New York State have reported that small groups of individuals are responsible for the majority of gun violence in the communities they serve, but these cases can be difficult to solve due to a lack of resources necessary to gather and review evidence, as well as challenges in gleaning information from victims and witnesses, who are often afraid or unwilling to cooperate with investigators. Lack of closure on these cases often contributes to retaliatory violence, as well as a lack of community trust in law enforcement.
The new grant funding, which runs through June 30, will support dedicated teams of police, prosecutors and crime analysts who work together to solve non-fatal shooting cases from the point at which they are reported, as is more commonly seen in homicide investigations. This collaboration will enable teams to secure crime scenes and gather and preserve evidence immediately, increasing the odds of identifying those responsible for non-fatal shootings. The $866,564 in grants also will support funding for overtime costs and equipment for the following law enforcement agencies:
- Buffalo Police Department: $248,970
- Erie County District Attorney: $68,482
- Rochester Police Department: $134,100
- Monroe County District Attorney: $55,313
- Schenectady Police Department: $89,349
- Schenectady County District Attorney: $65,840
- Utica Police Department $45,200
- Oneida County District Attorney: $47,600
- Troy Police Department: $80,272
- Rensselaer County District Attorney: $31,438
Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “These grants will help fund dedicated teams of police, prosecutors and crime analysts who can rely upon and implement a proven, evidence-based approach to solving these crimes. We commend Governor Hochul for her support of this initiative and for her leadership on implementing proven, effective strategies to reduce gun violence.”
The funding to these agencies will continue through the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative as of July 1. The Buffalo, Rochester, Schenectady, Troy and Utica police departments are among the 20 that participate in the initiative, which also provides training and technical assistance to police departments in 17 counties that report about 80 percent of violent and gun crime in the state outside of New York City. District attorneys’ offices, sheriffs’ offices, probation departments and other partners in those counties also receive funding through the initiative.
In 2016, DCJS selected Newburgh and Utica to participate in a demonstration project aimed at strengthening investigations into non-fatal shootings. DCJS provided support to assist the localities with solving these incidents in their jurisdictions, regardless of victim or witness cooperation. The localities committed to conducting thorough investigations into all non-fatal shootings, with early involvement from district attorneys’ offices to support evidence-based prosecutions. Written protocols also were established to outline step by step investigative actions and to delegate which personnel were responsible for each step.
The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety researched, evaluated and analyzed investigative activities and arrest data from 2014 through 2019 and reported significantly improved clearance rates in both cities during the three years after the demonstration launched, compared to the three years before implementation. Utica’s clearance rate for non-fatal shootings rose from 23 percent to 36 percent, while Newburgh’s clearance rate increased from 14 percent to 40 percent, as noted in a Criminal Justice Knowledge Bank research brief about the demonstration project.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said, “I am extremely grateful to the Governor for recognizing the need to address violent crime. This non-fatal shooting initiative is going to be beneficial to keeping our community safe.”
Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said, “In Monroe County, we have a collaborative law enforcement team that prioritizes evidence-based strategies to solve and reduce crime. One of the most successful and useful initiatives is GIVE (Gun Involved Violence Elimination). Together through GIVE and the Monroe County Crime Analysis Center, the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office and the Rochester Police Department will have a team of attorneys and investigators whose sole focus will be non-fatal shootings. This dedicated and experienced team is the next step toward reducing gun violence in our community. I am thankful to the Governor for prioritizing public safety through this important initiative.”
Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said, “I want to thank the Governor for providing my office with this funding to help us to continue to address gun violence in our community. This grant will allow us to purchase much needed equipment that will aid in investigations and prosecution of these cases.”
Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly said, “This funding comes at a time when we have seen violent gun crimes on the rise. The grant gives our office the opportunity to continue to work directly with the City of Troy Police Department to improve public safety.”
Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney said, “Often in non-fatal shootings, victims are uncooperative and over-burdened detectives move on to other cases. This initiative by the Governor to provide dedicated resources for investigators, crime analysts and prosecutors, will allow us to solve many of those crimes and, in the process, remove guns and shooters from our community. It is a smart criminal justice initiative, and I applaud Governor Hochul for making it happen.”
Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown said, “The Buffalo Police Department continues to work and partner with the community to end senseless gun violence. I thank Governor Hochul for providing this funding that will help our police department expand its investigatory capacity. We look forward to working with Erie County District Attorney John Flynn and his dedicated staff to maximize these resources for the best public safety outcomes for our residents.”
Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans said, “One of the best ways to prevent gun violence is to arrest those who have already demonstrated a willingness to settle disputes with a gun, so improving the investigative ability to find and arrest those individuals as quickly as possible will save lives and reduce violence. I am grateful for Kathy Hochul’s support on this critical issue, which is helping us create a safe, equitable and prosperous Rochester.”
Troy Mayor Patrick Madden said, “When shots ring out in our communities, untold lives are put at risk, which is why we are thankful Governor Kathy Hochul has awarded Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative funding to the City of Troy. Our city’s economic future hinges on the basic premise of public safety, and these funds will empower the Troy Police Department to pursue unlawful firearm use in our community and protect our families.”
Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri said, “The City of Utica and the State of New York continue to work diligently to make Utica safer. Victims and their families deserve closure and violent offenders need to be brought to justice. Earlier this year, the City of Utica and Gov. Hochul jointly announced the introduction of a SNUG program. The City has also installed dozens of pole cameras, five new police officer positions dedicated to gun violence and several other measures to combat violence. The State of New York, led by Gov. Hochul, and the City of Utica will continue to work together make our communities safer.”
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia said, “As we continue to see significant decreases in shootings and violent crime here in Buffalo, we thank Governor Hochul’s continued assistance and commitment to saving lives in Buffalo and all of New York. The funding provided here will help our department bring to justice those individuals driving gun violence in our community, utilizing a proven data driven approach.”
Rochester Police Chief David Smith said, “The collaboration of police, district attorneys, and crime analysts has been instrumental in closing a vast majority of our homicide cases. This new grant funding will enhance our collaborative efforts to solve non-fatal shootings and is critical to holding accountable those who bring violence to our community.”
Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford said, “We thank the Governor for these funds, which will help us devote more resources to investigating and solving non-fatal shootings, which often result in deadly retaliation. This is one of several evidence-based approaches that the Schenectady Police Department is utilizing to reduce crime, stop the cycle of violence, improve public safety and save lives.”
Troy Police Chief Dan DeWolf said, “The Troy Police Department is grateful and encouraged by New York State’s additional support provided through the most-recent GIVE funding award. The funding provided by DCJS will be used to formalize existing relationships and dedicate personnel to specific gun-violence-related crimes. In the preparation of the application for this funding, we spent time reviewing the demonstration projects previously funded in Newburgh and Utica, and we believe the same positive impact can be accomplished in our community. This new project will complement our existing enforcement efforts. We have spent the last several years deepening existing relationships with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners through our involvement in multi-agency task forces and joint investigations. We will also continue to integrate the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center throughout our efforts as they serve as a force multiplier when involved as a partner in our joint mission of safer communities. Our statewide community response to gun-violence is a multi-faceted issue that must include a variety of organizations and disciplines. We recognize, and are committed to doing, our part to enforce the existing laws and hold those individuals accountable who willfully engage in reckless behaviors involving illegal firearms. We appreciate New York State’s increased focus on these issues and the Division of Criminal Justice Services continued investment in our Troy community.”
Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said, “About five years ago, Utica, along with the City of Newburgh, was one of the original municipalities chosen by the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services to pilot a Non-Fatal Shooting investigative platform. During that initial run we saw a tremendous increase in not only our non-fatal shooting clearance rates, but our ability and capacity to investigate these very difficult cases. Now, again in 2023, we have been fortunate enough to receive funding from DCJS for the non-fatal program. Like most jurisdictions in New York State, we have seen a rise in gun violence. This program will undoubtedly bring the focus back to prosecuting the most violent individuals and bringing justice to the victims and families of senseless gun violence. We thank Governor Hochul and DCJS for the all the investment they have made in Oneida County and look forward to their partnership in making all of New York a safer place for our citizens.”
Cities were chosen based on shooting data and need for additional resources. Those participating submitted written plans for implementation, after convening meetings with stakeholders, including representatives from police departments, district attorneys’ offices and DCJS-funded regional crime analysis centers, which provide assistance to law enforcement.
Each jurisdiction receiving funding will review research briefs on the Utica and Newburgh project; collect and maintain data on non-fatal shootings before and after implementation; assign investigators dedicated to non-fatal shootings; develop written protocols and checklists to be used while investigating each non-fatal shooting; provide monthly updates on cases not closed and outline factors limiting and preventing closure; attend DCJS-specified trainings; coordinate closely through the completion of each case; assign an on-call assistant district attorney to non-fatal shootings; and track the dispositions of each case.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services is a multi-function criminal justice support agency and has 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.