EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Governor Kathy Hochul joined the East Greenbush Police Department on Friday to share how state grants have improved the department’s ability to serve the East Greenbush community. After investing $127 million in small local police agencies, Hochul said the funding has contributed to a 45% decline in shootings with injuries over the past year.
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Hochul said $127 million was delivered in the form of grants to help local agencies across the state upgrade their technology. Of $10 million awarded to the Capital Region, the East Greenbush Police Department received $387,000 for communication system upgrades, new computers and monitors in the dispatch center, mobile and portable radios used in shared services, and more.
Hochul added that the investment also benefited Capital Region violence intervention programs. From programs like the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative, SNUG, youth employment, and Project RISE, Hochul said the funding has made the area safer than it was a year ago, according to the GIVE Initiative’s latest statistics.
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“I’m here to say it’s working,” Hochul said. “Shooting incidents in the Capital Region GIVE jurisdictions have declined by 45% since last year alone,” Hochul said. “We fund our police, give them the support that they need, the respect they deserve, connect people to the resources that they need, and we can effectively fight crime.”
Supporting the modernization of operations for local police departments, East Greenbush Police Chief Elaine Rudzinski said the enhancements were essential. The funding also supported the department’s purchase of a drone with night vision capabilities to locate missing people…