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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday a series of actions by state law enforcement aimed at combatting the recent violence that the City of Syracuse has experienced over the past several weeks. Initially, New York will expand State Police patrols and operations, as well as increase intelligence sharing and coordination with local law enforcement and other state agencies. Following the implementation of this plan, the state will engage with the region's community leaders, clergy, law enforcement and elected officials to identify additional long term solutions to not only reduce violence, but address many of the systemic socio-economic problems that violence-plagued communities face.

"Protecting the public is the top responsibility of government and I am proud to work with our community partners to address both the immediate and underlying causes of violence in our neighborhoods," Governor Cuomo said. "Together, we will build a stronger and safer New York for all."

As law enforcement continues to investigate the multiple shootings that have taken place over the past several weeks, it is critical that both the state and local levels immediately expand their intelligence sharing, and find ways to combine resources and expand operational support with one another. Further, more resources need to be dedicated to providing youth with the services they need in schools to help them not only succeed personally, but to stay off the streets and away from the influence of gangs and criminal activity.


Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed Syracuse violence at an impromptu press conference Tuesday in the Village of Lansing
"As a parent myself I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose a child," Cuomo told members of the press while Visiting Ithaca Tuesday. "And with such senseless violence. It's not just one situation. So what dod you do? Everything you can."

As a first step, New York State Police Troop D will provide additional Troopers for 10 patrols, in coordination with Syracuse Police Department, as well as add one investigator on the Onondaga Crime Analysis Center and Police Department's Gang Violence Task Force. This deployment follows similar actions taken in Long Island, Rochester, and Albany over the past two years to provide federal and state law enforcement agencies with access to state intelligence expertise and specialized resources, such as aviation assistance, to better coordinate operations and inform intelligence-based policing strategies in the fight against violent crime involving gangs and firearms.

"State Police will partner with local law enforcement to crack down on the recent violence and gang operations in the Syracuse area," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "We will collaborate with local community leaders and elected officials to determine long-term solutions to combat this violence once and for all. We want to ensure that we reduce these incidents from happening and keep all New Yorkers safe from harm."

Additionally, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will direct Parole Officers in the Syracuse Metropolitan Bureau to monitor parolees for recent gang involvement, impose special conditions to restrict access to high-crime areas as warranted, conduct unannounced home visits and curfew checks to ensure compliance, as well as offer community-based services for recently-released individuals as an alternative to gang recruitment.

Finally, the Department will assign an additional Office of Special Investigations Investigator to the Syracuse Police Department's Gang Violence Task Force. This individual will focus on sharing gang intelligence information with local agencies to curb violence, expand the use of GPS monitoring for identified high-risk parolees, and launch a 24/7 information portal to field requests on potential gang-involved individuals of interest to local law enforcement officers and prosecutors. These actions are modeled after the State response to violence in the Bronx announced in July 2018.

Cuomo said he wants to provide more money for prevention programs as a second step in combating the violence.

"Young people need something to do to stay off the streets," he said. "We have to get them inside. We have to get them into sports programs, evening programs, midnight basketball programs, tutoring programs, job training programs. But you need to get them off the streets and offer them some hope. We'll look to the community based organizations in Syracuse to tell us what will work best here, but then we will provide funding from the State level to make sure there is an alternative to the street corner."

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