ALBANY, N.Y. (WCAX) – Governor Kathy Hochul says shootings in the Empire State are on the decline.
Hochul said that so far this year, shooting incidents with injury went down 28% compared to the same time last year. She said that is largely thanks to the Gun-Involved Violence Elimination Initiative – or GIVE.
The initiative was started in 2021, giving funding to law enforcement to hire, equip, and train officers to reduce gun grime.
“Between 2021 and 2023, gun homicides in our upstate give communities went down 37%. 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%. That is the momentum we’re carrying into 2024,” said Hochul.
She also announced $36 million in funding to the GIVE program, earmarked for another 28 law enforcement agencies across the state. Last year she invested another $36 million into the program.