New York state troopers sent to Syracuse last year to help combat gun violence will continue to work with the city’s law enforcement, according to the New York State Police.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in October 2018 that the state would send 10 troopers to Syracuse after the city experienced a series of shootings. The state police will now assist the city’s law enforcement “as needed,” said Beau Duffy, the NYSP director of public information, in an email.

“The patrol in Syracuse is an example of how we can augment those resources of local police departments when they’re working on specific issues such as guns and gun violence,” said Jack Keller, public information officer for state police’s Troop D.

Troop D is responsible for policing Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, Oneida, Lewis, Jefferson and Herkimer counties.

Mayor Ben Walsh requested an additional presence from the NYSP, Syracuse.com reported. Three people under the age of 19 were killed in an eight-day span in October 2018. Six other people were injured that October. In total, 24 homicides were reported in Syracuse in 2018.

Gun violence brought the additional troopers to Syracuse, but their role is to support the Syracuse Police Department in any way, Keller said. This could include providing technology, policing gun violence or simply providing additional manpower, he said.

SPD does not work directly with state police on a day-to-day basis, but does provide direction on where the state police should focus their efforts, said SPD spokesperson Sgt. Matthew Malinowski.

“As an agency, we always appreciate when other agencies give us a hand in combating crime in the community,” Malinowski said.

The state also provides support to Syracuse through its Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative. The Initiative, which provides funding for equipment, overtime, training, technical support and personnel, focuses on 17 counties where 85% of violent crime outside of New York City is reported, according to New York state’s website.

In Onondaga County, the initiative fully funds three full-time positions and partially funds seven full-time positions, according to the initiative’s annual report in 2018. The District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department and SPD all participate in the initiative.

In addition to the extra police presence, Cuomo announced in October 2018 that the state would increase intelligence sharing, monitor parolees for recent gang activity and add an investigator to the Onondaga Crime Analysis Center and the police department’s Gang Violence Task Force. Keller said the response from Syracuse police to the presence of state law enforcement has been positive.

“They understand we’re just coming in to provide support and assist them in any way we can,” he said. “The reception has been very well not only from superiors but also from local officers.”

Published on September 29, 2019 at 9:43 pm

Contact Alex: ajrouhan@syr.edu