close
close

In Yonkers and other cities in New York, there were fewer shootings with injuries compared to the previous year

play

In the city of Yonkers and several other New York state communities, the number of shootings involving personal injury has decreased compared to last year, Governor Kathy Hochul's office said in a news release Tuesday. The release touted the new policing strategies and provided funding to the cities thanks to a state program.

Yonkers reported a 57% decrease in shootings involving personal injury in the seven months ending in July of this year compared to the same seven-month period in 2023, the release said. In Yonkers, there were six shootings involving personal injury in the first seven months, compared to 14 in the same period in 2023.

“I think we're statistically the safest big city in New York,” Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said by phone from Chicago, where he was attending the Democratic convention. He praised the governor for providing money to cities, saying, “If we can use those funds, we can win this fight. And I really believe that Yonkers has shown the way for many departments, not just here in New York State, but across the country.”

Twenty-eight police departments in the state reported shooting numbers as they participate in the state's Firearm Violence Elimination Program. Overall, shootings with injuries decreased 29% in the seven months ending in July compared to the same seven months last year across the 28 localities, the release said. That's 351 shootings with injuries from Jan. 1 to July 31, compared to 497 incidents from Jan. 1 to July 31 in 2023.

The press release states that the number of people killed by gun violence in the communities represented by the 28 departments fell by 21% during the seven months – 70 people through July 31 this year, compared to 89 during the period from January 1 to July 31 last year.

The 28 police departments are located in 21 boroughs outside of New York City. The departments are required to report shootings involving injuries, the number of people shot and the number of people killed to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).

According to Hochul, the state budget includes initiatives administered by DCJS that provide money, training and technical assistance to police and community-based organizations in places most affected by gun violence and violent crime. One of those initiatives is the Gun Involved Violence Elimination program, through which DCJS helps the 28 police departments implement gun violence reduction strategies such as “problem-oriented policing, hotspot policing, targeted gang violence deterrence/intervention, street outreach and crime prevention through environmental design,” the release said.

According to the press release, the strategies “focus on the few people and places responsible for the majority of the violence and engage the broader community to build trust.”

Spano said every two weeks there is a meeting with precinct managers, police officers, special units and the police chief to provide a specific breakdown of crime and focus on trends and hot spots.

In terms of the number of people killed by gun violence, Yonkers reported two people for the seven-month period ending July 31 of this year, the same number as the seven months of the previous year. Mount Vernon reported two people during the same period in 2023 and 2024.

Decline in shootings with injuries in New York State

The governor's office said the following police departments have reported a significant decrease in shootings resulting in injuries, with the number of shootings resulting in injuries varying widely by municipality:

  • Yonkers: A 57% decrease, with 6 shootings resulting in injuries in the seven-month period of 2024, compared to 14 in the comparable period of 2023.
  • Nassau County: A 56% decrease, with 4 shootings with injuries through July 2024 compared to 9 in the seven-month period of 2023.
  • County of Suffolk: 50% decrease, with 14 shootings resulting in injuries compared to 28 in the seven-month period of 2023.
  • Rochester: 35% decrease, with 95 shootings resulting in injuries compared to 147 in the seven-month period of 2023.
  • Syracuse: 32% decrease, with 40 shootings resulting in injuries compared to 59 in the seven-month period of 2023.

The data showed that Mount Vernon had the smallest increase: 9 shootings involving personal injuries by July 2024, compared to 8 by July 2023.

The state’s Firearm Violence Elimination Program includes two levels of sites:

  • Level I police departments focused on reducing shootings and fatalities: Albany, Buffalo, Hempstead, Mount Vernon, Nassau County, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Schenectady, Suffolk County, Syracuse, Troy, Utica and Yonkers.
  • Level II police departments focused on reducing violent crimes involving firearms (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault): Amherst, Auburn, Binghamton, Cheektowaga, Elmira, Greece, Ithaca, Jamestown, Kingston, Lackawanna, Middletown, Spring Valley and Watertown.

July 2024 data for the 28 police departments are available on the state DCJS website.

The governor's office press release also said that through July 31, the New York Police Department reported an 11% decrease in shootings – 530 compared to 595 – compared to the same period last year.

“Our comprehensive efforts to reduce gun violence are paying off – and I will never stop fighting to keep communities safe across our state,” Hochul said.

You may also like...