Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced continued progress in bringing down gun violence and awarded nearly $36 million to local law enforcement agencies to further reduce violent crime. Shooting incidents with injury declined 28 percent during the first five months of 2024 when compared to the same period last year, as reported by police departments participating in the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks.
PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Good afternoon. Before I get into today's news about our public safety numbers, I want to start with a quick update on a series of recent hate crimes that have targeted Jewish New Yorkers.
Monday night, a group donning masks took over a subway car, scaring riders and chanting things about Hitler and wiping out Jews. I don't need to say this again, but this is vile and disgusting behavior. Then on Tuesday, several members of the Board of the Brooklyn Museum had their homes vandalized in horrible ways. And these abhorrent acts of antisemitism have absolutely no place in America, but particularly not in the State of New York.
So, the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force is working with local police to investigate these crimes, and I have directed our State Police to increase patrols in sensitive locations all over New York. They'll be stationed at high-risk community sites to ensure that everyone is protected. And I want to say how proud I am of the NYPD's rapid and effective response to the incident on the subway.
I recognize that subway safety is something that many New Yorkers are concerned about. Back in March, Mayor Adams and I launched a five-point plan to attack subway crime. Part of that plan, I made over 750 members of the New York National Guard available to help patrol the subways. I believe that our multi-pronged approach, in partnership with the Mayor and City Hall, is beginning to work, both in reducing crime and making people feel safer. We'll talk about these efforts at an event in the near future.
I also want to be very clear. We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior. My team is working on a solution, but on a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes. I've spoken to Mayor Adams, who's been outspoken on this issue with the MTA, with local law enforcement. And beginning conversations with the Legislature since this takes legislative action, which we're considering. There's obviously a problem here. This will be dealt with.
And there's legitimate reasons why people wear face coverings, mask coverings, head coverings – from COVID or the flu – religious reasons. Delivery drivers protecting themselves from the elements. And individuals involved in our festivities, our Caribbean events, our many events – Halloween. I assure everyone, we understand how complex this issue is. And we're just listening to people and addressing their needs and taking them very seriously. So, we'll be reporting more on that in the near future as well.
So, I want to transition to our main focus of the day. As I've said from the beginning, public safety, job number one, drive down the crime statistics, which were frightening when I first became Governor and only escalated a short time afterward until we took real action. So, I'm going to continue giving New Yorkers updates on our progress. New York State Police Superintendent Steven James and I are here to update New Yorkers on our efforts, first of all, to combat gun violence, both the progress we've made and also what we're doing to make that work. We're focused on Upstate New York right now because we've partnered with more than two dozen police agencies to drive down gun crime, which is now approaching 50-year lows.
It's our top priority. It's the fundamental function of government, keeping people safe. Our other work is to improve quality of life and affordability of New Yorkers. But first of all, everything depends on people feeling safe and being safe. All of our other accomplishments are built on that foundation.
And when I first came into office back in 2021, there were loud and misguided calls to defund the police. Even as gun crimes were surging in the wake of the pandemic, we had to do something about it. Defunding police never made sense. So, I, opposite of that, secured unprecedented funding for the police and for violence prevention programs that actually work. This includes the Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative – we call it GIVE.
Just a recap on how that works. Through the Division of Criminal Justice Services, and I thank Commissioner Rosado for all her hard work on this and implementing this, we disperse funding to 28 law enforcement agencies in 21 counties across Upstate New York. They use that money to hire personnel, buy equipment, pay overtime and enhance training. All these agencies have a series of crime fighting measures with a track record of reducing gun crime. Strategies like hotspot policing, focused deterrence and street outreach. And based on the numbers today, it's clear that investing in police and in these strategies is now paying off.
Between 2021 and 2023, gun homicides in our Upstate GIVE communities went down 37 percent. The homicide rate outside the City of New York is at its lowest point since 1970. And over that same period, shootings resulting in injury also dropped by 35 percent. That is the momentum we're carrying into 2024. Year to date, shootings resulting in injury are down another 28 percent on top of the previous decline all across our GIVE districts compared with the same period last year. So even our historic lows are getting lower. Gun related homicides are down 20 percent just from last year. Again, building on the previous decline. So, this is extraordinary.
Let's reflect on what these numbers truly mean. That means that real lives, for once, are untouched by the scourge of gun violence. People can raise their children, chase their dreams and make a difference in their community in a safe environment. And I'm proud of that. I'm proud of the partnerships, the strategies and the investments in police that are working.
And we're not here to take a victory lap. Never have, never will. Or to claim that crime is nonexistent because it's real. It's always been with us. One victim of gun violence is one too many. So, that means we still have plenty of work to do. Even with crime trending down, we fought to maintain unprecedented funding levels for gun violence prevention in our most recent Budget. We got it done, securing a record $347 million more. And that brings me back to GIVE and today's news. Today I'm announcing for the second straight year we're investing $36 million in the GIVE program that'll support 28 more agencies across New York.
Let me put that in context. The first funding level, we set aside $18 million— my very first budget — $18 million. At the time, that was the most ever budgeted. Then we doubled it, bringing the funding up to $36 million. So once again, by committing another $36 million, we're sending a strong message to New Yorkers. That we're making a statement about our priorities. That we will not let up. We will not take our foot off the gas.
We'll continue to invest in crime fighting strategies that we know are working. We'll continue to give the police the tools they need to prevent shootings and protect our communities. And as Governor, I'll leave no stone unturned in my mission to keep New Yorkers safe until everyone also feels safe. So, people can raise their kids, go to their jobs and live their lives free of anxiety and fear.
Whether you live in Albany or Buffalo or Newburgh, Mount Vernon, — anywhere in between. I want you to know that the police in your communities, as a result of our state efforts, will have the resources they need to keep your neighborhood safe.
Now I'm going to turn it over to Superintendent James who will talk more about these trends, and the significance of today's announcement of more funding going out to keep our communities safe.
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