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August 2007 > Mayor Brown Announces Increased State Funding For Anti-crime Mayor Brown Announces Increased State Funding For Anti-crimeSource/Contact City will receive over $890,000 in state anti-crime grant funds BUFFALO – Mayor Byron W. Brown today joined New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Denise O’Donnell, Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark, Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard, Buffalo Police Department Chief of Detectives Dennis J. Richards and other local partners in law enforcement to announce the receipt of state Operation Impact anti-crime funds for Buffalo and Erie County. “Overall, this funding represents a 28.4% increase from last year and I can state with confidence that the $895,000 that will go to Buffalo (of $1.9 million directed to Erie County) will further strengthen our Police Department’s continuing effort to reduce crime across the City,” said Mayor Brown. “Violent crime has continued to decrease in the City of Buffalo. Through July, homicides are down in Buffalo by 40% versus the first seven months of 2006 (28 in ’07 vs. 41 in ’06). But even with decreasing crime statistics, we must continue to do everything we can to ensure that our residents are safe and that they enjoy a good quality of life.” Among a variety of Police Department functions, the increased Operation Impact funding will support the Police Department’s ongoing and successful Mobile Response Unit (MRU), a specialized anti-crime unit that targets areas of high crime, illegal guns, gang activity and drug trafficking throughout Buffalo. Since it began operations in January, the MRU has made 1,504 arrests, issued over 3,500 summonses, impounded 360 vehicles, seized over $109,000 in cash and removed 92 illegal weapons form the streets (Note: the number of guns seized by the MRU is addition to the 878 illegal guns that were removed from Buffalo streets in one day in June when the Brown Administration conducted the City’s No Questions Asked Gun Buyback effort). “I again want to thank DCJS Commissioner Denise O’Donnell, Governor Eliot Spitzer and our City’s NYS Legislative Delegation, along with our local law enforcement partners, for helping the City of Buffalo and my Administration continue our daily fight to reduce crime, make our streets safer and ensure that all law-abiding Buffalo residents have a good quality of life,” said Mayor Brown. “With overall crime in Buffalo down 7% in 2006 versus 2005, and the continuing decline in 2007, I am confident that our anti-crime efforts, assisted by funds through programs like Operation Impact, will succeed.” Operation IMPACT (Integrated Municipal Police Anti-Crime Teams) is New York State’s comprehensive crime fighting program designed to achieve sustained, long-term crime reduction across the state. Since the program began in 2004, much progress has been made in developing and implementing collaborative crime reduction strategies targeting specific violent crimes. |
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