Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of the application period for $50 million in funding for law enforcement agencies across New York State. The funding will allow police departments and sheriffs’ offices located in communities outside of New York City to purchase new technology and equipment to modernize their operations and more effectively solve and prevent crime. Governor Hochul’s announcement coincided with the largest-ever Public Safety Symposium hosted by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. More than 1,100 local, state, and federal law enforcement professionals, criminal justice leaders, community members, researchers and academics are convening in Albany for the three-day event, which began Tuesday, Sept. 26 and concludes Thursday, Sept. 28.
“I am proud to support best practices and smart solutions that will help our law enforcement partners improve public safety in communities across New Yorkers State, and that is why I am ensuring that our police agencies have the new technology and equipment they need,” Governor Hochul said. “I am also pleased to welcome more than 1,100 of the brightest minds and criminal justice professionals from across the country to our largest ever Public Safety Symposium, where they will share their expertise to enhance public safety and improve the lives of all New Yorkers.”
This year’s Public Safety Symposium features 71 presentations exploring best practices, evidence-based programs and data-driven initiatives designed to improve public safety, advance the police profession, and build and sustain community trust. Symposium attendees and presenters represent nearly 400 different agencies, organizations, and nonprofit groups from across the state and country. Presentation topics include police recruitment and retention, police-community engagement, procedural justice, the crime analyst’s role in proactive crime reduction, officer health and wellness, safeguarding children of parents who are arrested, body-worn cameras, and executive leadership, among others.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) will administer the $50 million, for which police departments and sheriffs’ offices can now submit their applications. The deadline for submissions is noon on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. DCJS issued the request for applications after obtaining feedback from police departments and sheriffs’ offices last fall about the type of technology and equipment they need. Those requests totaled $44 million, more than double the state’s initial commitment of $20 million. To fully fund those identified needs, Governor Hochul secured $50 million in the FY24 Budget. Agencies can seek funding for a variety of equipment and technology, including but not limited to license plate readers, mobile and fixed surveillance cameras, computer-aided dispatch systems, software, unmanned aerial vehicles, gunshot detection devices, and smart equipment for patrol vehicles and police officers.
Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said, “This funding will be a game-changer for agencies, allowing them to upgrade technology and tools that will help them solve and prevent crime, improve transparency, and build trust. I’m grateful for Governor Hochul’s steadfast support of our local law enforcement partners, many of whom are participating in this year’s Symposium. My team has assembled an amazing lineup of law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, and community partners who will share their evidence-based initiatives, best practices, and innovative ideas to reduce crime, strengthen the police profession and help make communities whole.”
The FY24 Budget includes the largest-ever investment in public safety and criminal justice funding to support Governor Hochul's comprehensive, multifaceted approach to address gun violence, the surge in vehicle thefts and further improve public safety in communities across New York:
- $36 million to law enforcement agencies participating in the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. This record-level funding now supports 28 police departments, and district attorneys' offices, probation departments, and sheriffs' offices in 21 counties outside of New York City hardest hit by gun violence and violent crime.
- $52.5 million in aid to prosecution funding for all 62 district attorneys’ offices and $80 million to support discovery reform implementation statewide.
- $25 million for the SNUG Street Outreach program administered and supported by DCJS in Albany, the Bronx, Buffalo, Hempstead, Mt. Vernon, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Syracuse, Rochester, Troy, Utica, Wyandanch and Yonkers.
- $20 million for pretrial services and $31.4 million for Alternatives to Incarceration programs to better connect people with the resources they need.
- $16 million for the state’s Crime Analysis Center Network, which is administered by DCJS in partnership with local law enforcement agencies
The Division of Criminal Justice Services provides critical support to all facets of the state's criminal justice system, including, but not limited to: training law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals; overseeing a law enforcement accreditation program; ensuring Breathalyzer and speed enforcement equipment used by local law enforcement operate correctly; managing criminal justice grant funding; analyzing statewide crime and program data; providing research support; overseeing county probation departments and alternatives to incarceration programs; and coordinating youth justice policy. Follow DCJS on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram.