Rochester has reported a 39% decrease in shooting incidents with injury to date, compared to 2023’s seven-month range from January to August.
With a statewide decrease of 28%, Governor Kathy Hochul stated, “Our strategies for tackling gun violence are proving effective, but our work is never finished — we will continue investing, innovating and partnering with law enforcement to make New York a safer place for everyone.”
According to New York State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, Rochester has reported 111 shooting incidents involving injury this year, compared to 181 in the previous year’s seven-month range. Shooting incidents involving injury are defined as the number of incidents that resulted in one or more individuals injured or killed by a bullet. The Rochester Police Department’s (RPD’s) Open Data Portal reports similar metrics.
This year’s decrease falls in line with a trend of declining gun violence over the last three years, after a sharp peak between 2020 and 2021.
According to New York State’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, the GIVE initiative provides state funding to local law enforcement agencies that pursue evidence-based strategies to combat gun violence, including hot spot policing, focused deterrence, street outreach, and crime prevention through environmental design.
With Monroe County receiving over six million dollars in grant funding over the next year, RPD has allocated half from GIVE to continue to combat shootings in the city. In 2022, Rochester was ranked 13th of cities with the highest rate of gun homicides per 100,000 people.
With a continued decline in annual incidents, the GIVE initiative has established itself as a driving influence in the greater effort to reduce overall gun violence in Rochester.
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans stated, “Whether it’s through common-sense gun laws, unprecedented investments in children and families, or advancing the pace of crime-fighting initiatives and technologies, [Governor Hochul’s] resolve to end violent crime and bring peace to our communities has been determined, decisive, and resourceful at every turn.“
