Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently 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.
Locally, in Broome County, the Binghamton Police Department and District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office will share $393,944.
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.
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.
