(The Center Square) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says new spending on high-tech gadgetry and new technologies will help the state’s law enforcement agencies fight crime.
Hochul announced Monday that the state is doling out $127 million in technology grants to local police departments statewide, including $19 million for the Western New York region. She said the funding will help local law enforcement officers be “better equipped to keep themselves and all New Yorkers safe from harm.”
“Law enforcement officers are on the frontlines of keeping New York communities safe,” Hochul, a Democrat, said Monday. “That is why we’re investing in enhanced technology and equipment that enables them to do their jobs efficiently, effectively, and safely.”
Hochul made the announcement in Tonawanda, where the town’s police department demonstrated state-of-the-art technology it bought with $700,000 in state technology grants, including a new 3D scanner to document crime scenes and accidents, a virtual reality training system, and new communications equipment.
“We know that when we equip our officers with the tools and training they need to do their jobs, our people and properties are better protected from bad actors — and we know, too, that the tools at their disposal must keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology of law enforcement,” state Assemblyman Bill Conrad, a North Tonawanda Democrat.
Hochul administration officials said the investments in public safety under her administration have helped reduce crime in the region, touting new statistics showing that index crime in Erie County is down 14% while shootings in the city of Buffalo down 22% over the previous year.
Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said Hochul’s record investments have given police agencies in Western New York “access to modern tools that improve officer safety, enhance investigations, and help reduce crime.”
“These grants ensure local law enforcement has the technology they need to protect their communities and strengthen public safety,” she said.
The Hochul administration said the funding for Western New York police departments comes as federal support is drying up. New York distributes about $2.6 million worth of counterterrorism grants annually from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the Western New York region.
In the current fiscal year, the federal grants have been cut by 40%, or a nearly $1 million cut to law enforcement and public safety in the Western New York region, the Hochul administration said.
