$1.5 Million In State Funding To Fight Violent Crime

Senator Craig M. Johnson (D-Port Washington) announced more than $1.5 million in state funding has been secured to fight violent crime in Nassau County.

The funds are part of Operation IMPACT, a highly successful state initiative designed to target violent crimes -- specifically gun-related crimes -- within New York State.

"This is a critically important program that has done much to ensure that our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to make our streets safer and to see to it that violent criminals are brought to justice," Johnson said. "This effort has worked remarkably well in Nassau County, which has had an 11 percent drop in violent crime so far this year."

Operation IMPACT (Integrated Municipal Police Anti-Crime Teams) was founded to bolster crime-prevention operations in the 17 counties that account for more than 80 percent of statewide crime outside of New York City.

The program has a total budget of $17 million -- a 14 percent increase from last year.

Nassau received $1,539,628 in IMPACT funds.

Operation IMPACT dollars can be used for such purposes as personnel, equipment and technological improvements, provided that the funding is applied toward crime-reduction goals. The state's Division of Criminal Justice Services also coordinates with local IMPACT sites to assess program effectiveness and to develop strategies for improvement.

Senator Johnson said he is pleased with the program's emphasis on Long Island communities. During this past decade, violent crime in New York City declined 42 percent while jurisdictions outside the city have witnessed a 23-percent reduction in violent crime.

"This program acknowledges that the incidence of violent crime must be addressed statewide, in urban and suburban communities alike," Sen. Johnson said.