ALBANY (NEWS10) — Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins reported a 17% increase in shooting incidents and a 15% rise in shooting victims year-to-date, though he emphasized the need to consider the numbers in a broader context.
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“When we’re looking at where we are in comparison to those incidents, it’s not something that’s totally startling to us,” Hawkins said. “We’re slightly ahead because we’re comparing them to a period when we had some significant decreases.”
Hawkins urged residents to look at the long-term data, noting that the five-year average shows a different picture of gun violence trends in Albany. “With shooting incidents in our city, we are actually down 13% compared to the five-year average,” he explained. “And with shooting victims, we’re actually down 18%…we try to look at the overall picture.”
Mayor Kathy Sheehan joined Chief Hawkins in acknowledging the department’s work in addressing crime and credited additional state funding for strengthening anti-violence programs. “The funding…with respect to anti-violence strategies has certainly benefited our city,” Sheehan remarked, pointing to Governor Hochul’s support through increased funding for anti-violence initiatives.