NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Addressing gun violence was one of many cornerstones of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s detailed plans for the year ahead in New York.
The governor announced a three-part agenda with the initiatives of investing in law enforcement gun safety, partnering with localities and nearby states to crack down on gun trafficking and tripling the state’s investment in community-based gun violence response.
"With incidents of gun violence and other violent crimes sadly increasing, my Administration is laser-focused on taking the necessary steps to protect New Yorkers,” said Hochul. “Our three-pronged approach will tackle the rise in crime while also ensuring all New Yorkers, no matter their race or background, are treated with dignity and respect."
Hochul said State Police gun violence intelligence resources will be tripled by adding a team of analysts who process gun tracing data. Community stabilization units will be doubled, which increases State Police’s ability to partner with local departments to combat community-specific gun issues.
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On a more local level, the state is set to increase funding for Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) and for New York’s Crime Analysis Centers, which collect and share criminal info with local law enforcement.
Every region of New York will also get a Crime Gun Intelligence Center to help State Police solve more crimes and halt interstate gun trafficking.
Also new will be the Interstate Gun Tracing Consortium, formed by police to facilitate exchanging of info between local police and other states.
More local investments include expanding hospital-based gun violence specialists at all state trauma centers, as well as providing job-readiness and work placement training for at-risk kids in the New York violence interruption network.
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The moves come as gun violence has heightened in recent years in New York. From 2019 to 2020, gun homicides went up about 80%.
During Hochul's address in Albany, she spoke about bringing back to-go cocktails, a rail service connecting Brooklyn and Queens, tax breaks, small business investments and help for healthcare workers and teachers.
Hochul also targeted homelessness with initiatives like Safe Options Support, which would deploy mental health teams to New York City and other areas to engage with homeless people. She's also looking to expand housing access via public funding and protect tenants from eviction.
She is also looking to propose a new tax abatement incentivizing affordable rental housing construction.
On the front of criminal justice reform, the governor announced the “Jails to Jobs” initiative in order to connected the formerly incarcerated with job opportunities. This includes refocusing parole officers on career planning and job placement and a public-private partnership for work-release programs within prisons.