Earlier this month, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced he will be directing state resources to combat the explosion of gang violence in the Village of Hempstead on Long Island.
In this new plan, the Division of Criminal Justice Services has pledged to send technical advisors to the Hempstead Village Police to asses their technological needs regarding License Plate Readers, video cameras, and social media analysis. Hempstead Village Police will also receive advanced technical training to improve their policing strategies. The primary goal of this technical assistance is to ensure police effectively utilize and deploy law enforcement technologies and resources across the board. The plan will also initiate the forming of a joint Task Force to create longer-term goals to combat gang violence in the village.
In the Governer’s new plan, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, or DOCCS will formally join the FBI-led Long Island Gang Task Force through its Office of Special Investigations. The OSI will assign a full-time investigator to serve on the Task Force, allowing law enforcement to access DOCCS’ criminal intelligence and coordinate gang enforcement activities in the community.
Governor Cuomo’s new plan will also ensure the Village of Hempstead receives assistance from the New York State Police’s Mobile Command Center by providing the Village with deployments as needed. The State Police will also increase their patrols, conducting two daily patrols with two State Troopers per car.
Of the new plan, Governor Cuomo said, “The situation here is not unique but it is unacceptable: it’s guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them and it’s gang violence. Job number one for government is to keep people safe, and the village, county and state are working together as one team to coordinate strategy and resources. In the short term, we are deploying additional State Police personnel to supplement local law enforcement’s patrol force, and in the long term the state and county will work with the village to ensure it has the most up-to-date technology and training resources available to tackle this issue in a comprehensive way.”
Village of Hempstead mayor was grateful for the support, stating, “Safety is of paramount concern to the Village of Hempstead, the Hempstead Police Department, and Hempstead residents. We are pleased that the New York State Troopers will be furthering their partnership with the Hempstead Village Police Department in the interests of ensuring the security of our neighborhoods and the safety of our families. We are confident that with our cooperation with Nassau County, New York State, and Federal law enforcement authorities, Hempstead will continue on the track of improved safety for this Village. We are grateful for any additional resources that the State of New York may provide us, whether financially or with patrol cars, and look forward to working side by side with the state’s extraordinary law enforcement officers.”
The total investment committed to combatting gang activity on Long Island is over $45 million.
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