New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday named the director of a new state agency that will try to stem the rise of gun violence in hot spots.
Also Wednesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alving Bragg announced the appointment of a prosecutor specializing in gun crimes.
New York is experiencing a continued decline in overall crime, but gun violence is on the rise in the state and across the country.
State authorities estimate that New York will register more than 800 homicides in 2022, according to the Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Rossana Rosado.
That would mark the second year in a row with more than 800 homicides, according to Rosado, who spoke to lawmakers at a budget hearing Tuesday.
He said the state hasn’t seen such levels since 2008.
The governor led a meeting of various government agencies on the issue of firearms and in a message on social networks, she noted:
“We are approaching the gun violence epidemic with all the resources we can deploy.
“Our Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns brings together leaders in the common quest to stop the flow of illegal guns and save lives.
“Too many have been lost. New Yorkers deserve action,” Hochul wrote.
We are coming at the gun violence epidemic with all the resources we can deploy.
Our Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns brings together leaders in the common pursuit of stopping the flow of illegal guns and saving lives.
Too many have been lost. New Yorkers deserve action. pic.twitter.com/8Syh2sDeqN
— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) January 26, 2022
Fighting gun violence is a key priority for Gov. Kathy Hochul, who announced Wednesday that lifelong Harlem resident Calliana Thomas will lead the statewide Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
“As we enter 2022, we are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of weapons finding their way across our borders and into the hands of criminals,” Hochul said. “And we’re seeing a concentration in places like the Bronx, Upper Manhattan, but other cities as well.”
Thomas worked on gun violence prevention programs with New York City communities for seven years with the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The governor said the new state agency, within the state health department, will examine the causes and effects of gun violence: “What drives people to this, and what happens in their emotional and psychological world than might leading people to these decisions,” he said.
District Attorney Bragg appointed veteran prosecutor Peter Pope to lead his plan against gun violence in Manhattan, tasking him with working with community leaders on efforts to prevent violence on the streets.
“Pope is an experienced gun violence prevention attorney with a proven track record of taking on tough challenges and getting results,” Bragg said in a statement detailing his plans to tackle this issue.
He explained that Pope will work to achieve the Office’s goals of identifying and prosecuting arms dealers, those who carry illegal weapons on the streets, and that he will increase efforts to identify people with a history of domestic violence who have weapons.
“Our first civil right is to walk to the corner store safely and without fear. We have lost too many loved ones to gun violence,” the prosecutor said in the statement.
Governor Hochul’s budget proposal includes more funding for gun crime tracking, as well as hiring more social media analysts.
“This way we can find out in advance what trends are out there,” Hochul said. “What are people talking about? What are they talking about? And maybe identifying individuals who are on the cusp of buying guns or dealing in guns, or even committing crimes.”
Hochul spoke in Greenbush Wednesday before the first meeting of a new interstate task force dedicated to improving illegal gun tracing.
Hochul says officials from nine states who are part of the task force are going to figure out how to quickly collect data on the flow of weapons.
“We have an opportunity to conduct interdiction efforts along our border with Pennsylvania, identifying gun shows where people are buying guns, loading up a trunk, and heading up 81 or Route 90 into western New York,” Hochul said. “And then the guns end up in our particular cities. And that’s the level of trafficking that we want to target.”
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