NY Counties Share Nearly $13 Million in Crime Fighting Grants

Funding Granted Through Operation IMPACT for Violent/Gun Crime and Domestic Abuse

Nearly $13 million has been awarded under Operation IMPACT to 17 counties to target violent and gun crime and domestic violence.

The IMPACT jurisdictions receiving funding today report 80 percent of the crime in the state outside of New York City.

Operation IMPACT consists of a partnership among the primary police department and the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department in each county, as well as state and federal agencies, including Parole, the New York State Police, and the United States Marshals.

The grants, which are administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), fund personnel and technology that allow the IMPACT partners to fight, reduce and prevent crime through the analysis of data and trends, development and sharing of intelligence and targeted enforcement efforts.

"We must do all we can to ensure that New York State is a safe place to live, raise a family and do business," Governor Cuomo said.

"This funding through Operation IMPACT will provide much-needed resources so that local law enforcement partners can develop community-specific strategies designed to prevent and reduce crime.

By working together and encouraging collaboration across all levels of government, we will be able to make communities across New York a safer place for all."

"Local governments must constantly do more with less. Funding available through Operation IMPACT provides agencies in the state’s urban centers – some of which have been hit harder by the financial crisis – with additional resources to fight violent crime that destroys families and communities," said New York’s Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Elizabeth Glazer.

DCJS Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green noted, "As a former District Attorney, I know first-hand the importance of Operation IMPACT. The program is effective because partners work together, using intelligence-driven policing, data and technology to address persistent and emerging crime through strategies designed to both prevent crime and hold those who commit crimes accountable."

The following jurisdictions and counties received funding through the program:

Albany Police Department/Albany County: $873,400
Binghamton Police Department/ Broome County: $377,700
Jamestown Police Department/Chautauqua County: $226,100
Poughkeepsie Police Department/Dutchess County: $339,375
Buffalo Police Department/Erie County: $1,494,500
Rochester Police Department/Monroe County: $1,723,300
Nassau County Police Department/Nassau County: $971,400
Niagara Falls Police Department/Niagara County: $611,900
Utica Police Department/Oneida County: $436,300
Syracuse Police Department/Onondaga County: $1,093,300
City of Newburgh Police Department/Orange County: $676,850
Troy Police Department/Rensselaer County: $488,700
Spring Valley Police Department/ Rockland County: $185,900
Schenectady Police Department/Schenectady County: $721,900
Suffolk County Police Department/Suffolk County: $1,170,580
Kingston Police Department/Ulster County: $249,300
Yonkers Police Department/Westchester County: $1,347,450

Three counties have a secondary police department involved in the initiative, which also receive funding: Hempstead Police in Nassau County, Middletown Police in Orange County and Mount Vernon Police in Westchester County.

The grants are awarded competitively, with priority given to those jurisdictions with the highest volume of crime. Nine counties received an increase in funding over last year’s awards: Erie, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Ulster and Westchester.

The total amount available for the program this year was about 1 percent less than last year’s figure of $13.06 million.

In 2011, the total number of index crimes reported by the 17 primary police departments that participate in Operation IMPACT – 109,233 – was at its lowest in 10 years.

Seven index crimes are used by the state and FBI to monitor overall crime trends and give law enforcement a tool to gauge their effectiveness and drive decision-making about staffing and day-to-day agency operations.

Four index crimes are classified as violent: murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, and three are classified as property: burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

The percentage of firearm-related violent crime peaked in 2006, at 26.2 percent; last year, 23.6 percent of violent crimes involved a firearm.

Last year, IMPACT jurisdictions experienced a 3.8 percent reduction in crime, with decreases reported in every crime category except burglary, when compared to 2010. Violent crime was down 6 percent, and property crime down 4 percent. 

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services is a multi-function criminal justice support agency with a variety of responsibilities, including collection and analysis of statewide crime data; operation of the DNA databank and criminal fingerprint files; 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 and a toll-free telephone number (1-800-262-3257) that allows anyone to research the status of an offender.

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