Governor Hochul: “My number one job has always been — will always be — to keep New Yorkers safe. Whether you're at work, at home or worshiping in a synagogue. That is the fundamental role of government. It's foundational to all of our other work to improve New Yorkers quality of life. And that's why when I first became Governor, my first priority was to help dial back some of that unease and the anxiety that was affecting so many communities.”
Hochul: “Overall crime this year is down 15 percent. 15 percent down, not up 15 percent. But I'm not here to take a victory lap. I'm here to celebrate the collective efforts. We also know that one victim of gun violence is too many, and that means we still have work to do.”
Governor Kathy Hochul announced continued progress in bringing down gun violence and overall crime on Long Island. Shooting incidents with injury decreased 44 percent as reported by the Nassau, Suffolk and Hempstead Police Departments, which all participate in the State's Gun Involved Violence Elimination program. Across Long Island, statistics show a 15 percent overall decrease in index crimes, as well as a 16 percent reduction in property crimes, during the first quarter of 2024. Governor Hochul also announced the investment of more than $50 million for public safety in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, the largest such State investment in history, which was included in this year's State Budget.
My number one job has always been — will always be — to keep New Yorkers safe. Whether you're at work, at home or worshiping in a synagogue. That is the fundamental role of government. It's foundational to all of our other work to improve New Yorkers quality of life. And that's why when I first became Governor, my first priority was to help dial back some of that unease and the anxiety that was affecting so many communities, as we saw the aftermath of the pandemic.
Crime rates soared. Not just in New York, but all across the country. But we were hard hit. Crime was up all over the state. Crime was up here on Long Island. And I said to my agency commissioners, and our allies in local and county police departments: “You're the experts. You're out there on the front lines. You tell me as your governor what tools you need to be successful, and I will get them to you.”
And at the time, there were other voices — recklessly calling to defund the police. Wrong then, wrong now, wrong forever. And so, instead of defunding the police, I re-funded. I upped the numbers dramatically. In my first three budgets with the cooperation and support of the individuals here, we dramatically increased funding to fight crime all across this state.
The first year I came into office, 2021, all of Long Island received $7 million dollars from the state of New York to support local police, District Attorneys — other anti-crime initiatives. You know what we did last year? $47 million dollars dedicated to fighting crime here on Long Island.
That was last year. The budget we just concluded, I said we're gonna go big or go home. We secured over $50 million dollars to help Long Islanders fight crime and be safe. No governor has been as committed as I am to preserving the quality of life, and keeping Long Islanders safe and investing in local police departments.
I know a lot about this. My husband was a federal prosecutor for 30 years. My son is now a federal prosecutor. We support law enforcement. We support our District Attorneys. We support all of you are who are out there doing everything you can, serving the public in countless ways, putting your own lives in danger.
All the men and women in uniform. Because I know if we invest in our local police departments, we're investing in the very best people. Public servants who uphold our Constitution, the safety and security of our towns and the villages, and the counties where they live.
Let me be very clear. I believe in local police departments like Glen Colve with their great Chief who's joined us here today, Chief Whitten. I believe in the Nassau County Police Departments. I believe in the Suffolk County Police Forces. I believe my good friends, like Nassau County PBA President Tommy Shevlin and our Suffolk County PBA President Lou Civello. They couldn't make it here today. They wish they could, they're taking much deserved breaks.
But their board members are here on their behalf today. I want them to stand right now so we can recognize all of you. All the board members of the PBA, please stand up. Thank you.
Now, I believe in what you do. That's why, for the life of me, I can't understand why someone would think there's a need to build a separate militia, for example. I don't know that you need that here on Long Island because we have the best, in uniform, highly trained individuals, and I trust them. I trust them. We all trust them.
So, put that aside, put that aside. We'll discuss that later. But anybody making the claim that we need more reinforcements than these individuals who are also backed up by the New York State Police — who I believe in — there are enough professionally trained, full-time people dedicated to the cause of keeping you safe. Let me just point that out.
So, let’s get to some progress. Let's get to the progress we're here to talk about today. One thing that's clear is our efforts are working by forming the first interstate task force on illegal guns — which means that there are now, as a result of my efforts, 11 states, contiguous to New York and beyond, that are all on the same page, sharing data, sharing cases, doing everything they can to stop the pipeline of illegal guns coming to our streets up 95, and also those that have come in from Pennsylvania, where the laws, as you know, are vastly different than our laws here in the State of New York coming up Route 81.
We know how to track them; we see them and we're stopping them. We're also boosting coordination between all agencies. As I said, making unprecedented investments in local police, and here are some of the results, just look at the numbers: since I became Governor in 2021, shootings on Long Island are down 47 percent.
Think about this — those who like to look at the history books — think about this: last year, shootings on Long Island reached their lowest point in recorded history. On top of that last year record, we're down another 44 percent this year from then. I mean, that's extraordinary. That is extraordinary.
Since I took office, murders on Long Island are down 35 percent. That's amazing. Murders last year on Long Island were also the lowest on record in at least 50 years. So, think about that, process that. That was last year — great record. This year, we're 50 percent lower than that record. So that's all the good news I wanted to share with you today. We're making major efforts to drive down violent crime and overall crime.
And again, we're focusing on a lot of specific areas. My number one job was to stop the violent crimes, the shootings and the murders, because we could also be sitting here almost three years later and seeing those numbers go up and up and up. So, do not take for granted that this was the normal course of events. It was a concerted effort. It was the teamwork that was built around this effort with Albany, but also our local officials, our local men and women in uniform.
So, I'm here to praise all of you. Overall crime this year is down 15 percent. 15 percent down, not up 15 percent. But I'm not here to take a victory lap. I'm here to celebrate the collective efforts. We also know that one victim of gun violence is too many, and that means we still have work to do.
And I'll also note the atrocity that occurred in Pennsylvania, I just spoke to the Pennsylvania Governor. It shakes us to our core. It does create that sense of vulnerability once again, and we must fight against that. We must hold strong, condemn all acts of violence, but particularly those who try to silence those who run for office. That's egregious. And I will continue to condemn that and continue to support all of our agencies that protect everybody – everybody, as they should.
So, how do we do that? In May, we awarded $127 million to local police departments and sheriff's offices for new technology. This is how you get ahead of the bad guys, right? It's technology. This is our advantage. License plate readers, body worn body cameras, patrol equipment, camera systems. These are critical tools that become expensive for local police departments. This is where we can play a role.
Tell us what you need; we'll get it in the hands of the people who know how to use it. We can prevent crime, solve crimes and ultimately improve public safety. And that's why I'm proud to announce that the Glen Cove Police Department will be receiving $1.1 million to keep your residents safe.
And I know that money is well spent because I trust them. I trust them to do the right thing. And we're going to continue focusing on making sure we increase the amount of money that we give toward our local police officers. We secured a record $347 million.
But I'm also focused on other areas of crime, as are your representatives in the Legislature. We talk about other crimes that continue to be spiking as we focus on violent crime that pops up over here. What am I talking about? Retail theft. We weren't talking about that a couple years ago, but the criminals have become so brazen that they're part of international shoplifting rings, and they're selling the merchandise that they stole from your local stores on the internet.
That cannot stay. So, we're finding ways to eradicate that as well. I added $40 million – with the help of the men and women in the front row here – $40 million dollars more to establish dedicated retail theft teams within State Police, the DA's offices and local police departments. They will not get away with this. We will catch them red handed. And they'll go after these brazen races with the same focus that we used to drive down the gun violence.
We're also protecting vulnerable communities from hate crimes. And as the Governor of a state that is so proud of its diversity, it's what separates us from everybody else. We're the place that people come for freedom from economic oppression, religious suppression, racial and ethnic strife. They come to this great country. My grandparents came and they were so poor, became migrant farm workers, domestic servants, eventually could work – my grandfather made steal like my dad did.
People come here for so many reasons, but to know at this particular time, we've seen this heartbreaking rise in antisemitism, especially after the atrocities of October 7. I went there right afterward. I'll never get the images out of my head of what I saw. What really hurt, though, is coming back to our own country, our own cities, and seeing a rise in people who are so filled with hate that it spilled over into not just their words, but their actions on campuses and in communities and other places where people should be open minded, embracing other ideas, challenging their own thoughts about the world. But never denigrating people because of their own religious beliefs. My friends, we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that that's the reality in so many of our communities right now.
Last year, a swastika was carved into a tree near the Holocaust Memorial Intolerance Center, less than one mile from where we are today. A symbol, yes, but it's a manifestation of hatred. And we have to do a better job in teaching our children about what America really means, what it stands for, and how all of us, as the adults, in passing on the values to our children, know we have to preserve this great union. It's an imperfect union, for sure. But it's up to us to make it better.
So, we will never allow for this to stand. That's why I increased funding from our Securiting Communities Against Hate Crimes program. I increased it 40 percent from last year to $35 million. So, we have money for high-risk entities, our synagogues and places, so they can buy the equipment they need so people feel safe when they come to worship. That is a basic right of people in this great state. So, with our record investments and our record results, we're on our way. And we will not let up, will not take our foot off the gas, and we'll continue investing in crime fighting strategies that we now know will actually work. And again, it starts with your local police departments, giving them the tools that they need, giving the mayor and the city council the support they need so they can make those investments.
Do the hires. I can't tell you how many police officers and police chiefs I had to hire. As a member of a town board for 14 years, I knew what I was looking for in these individuals. I wanted people who had the kindness of heart that they would help somebody cross the street or get a kitten out of a tree but be as tough as they needed to be when the circumstances challenge them. That's what we get with our local police departments. That's why I believe in them. That's why I'll continue to support them. And as Governor, I'll leave no stone unturned in my quest to give people what they deserve, and that is the security of knowing that they and their families will always be safe, free from anxiety and fear.
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