February 2, 2024
Albany, NY

Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on Continued Efforts to Improve Public Safety

Governor Hochul: “Gun violence is back to historic lows. We brought down shootings by over a third, and district attorneys truly have a critical role to play. We also want to make sure that you hear from individuals about how we are making those changes.”

Hochul: “I want to make sure that people know we are united, we are standing firmly against crime, protect the people of our state and make public safety our shared mission so all New Yorkers can have that sense of security that they deserve.”

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul updated New Yorkers on continued efforts to improve public safety in the state. The Governor held a media availability alongside Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez following the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York Winter Conference.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.

PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Good afternoon. I just concluded delivering marks to the New York State District Attorneys Association, where I had a chance to, first of all, commend the representatives of our 62 counties and their staff and their clerks for the extraordinary work they do in partnership with the State of New York to keep all of us safe.

It's my top priority. I rely on them intently to make sure that we tackle the problems of the day. And as people know, when I first became Governor two and a half years ago, we had an enormous surge in crime – volent crimes, crimes of property, murders and shootings were up on a trajectory that we never knew when it was going to end.

And I'm really proud that we can say now that we're in a much better place. And if you all recall that the court system was paralyzed during the pandemic, there was a decision made that they couldn't assemble any juries because you had to sit six feet apart. Well, imagine what that did to the pre-existing backlog. It just made it horrendous, and a lot of people never got their day in court. Victims did not get their justice.

And so, we had a move out of that system of high crime rates, mistrust in the system as well as a court system that was immobilized. So, we've had to make unprecedented investments to right the ship, and we gave last year DAs $130 million to implement discovery reform and create a fair and efficient court system.

We also had to clarify our bail laws, and this was something I said from day one was one of my top priorities. We made some changes in my first Budget in 2022, we did it again in 2023. All of this in consultation with our district attorneys to make sure that we are talking about changes that they could actually implement. That collective approach is now working. Gun violence is back to historic lows. We brought down shootings by over a third, and district attorneys truly have a critical role to play.

We also want to make sure that you hear from individuals about how we are making those changes. I'm proud to be here with the President of this association, District Attorney John Flynn, who will share how Erie County is effectively using the bail laws that have now been changed.

We have Westchester DA, Mimi Rocah, who will discuss how her county is partnering with the state to combat hate crimes. Queens District Attorney, Melinda Katz, will talk about their state-of-the-art approach to ending domestic violence and protecting women and families.

And Brooklyn DA, Eric Gonzalez, will talk about the importance of addressing organized retail theft and repeat offenders. Everything they work on aligns with our priorities in the state. That's why for the first time ever, we are funding these district attorneys at unprecedented levels.

Gun violence money, $347 million. And also, I'm proposing now to launch $40 million to help all across the state, our district attorneys, our local law enforcement, our state police, to have the resources they need to tackle the retail theft things and to give them the tools they need to punish domestic abusers. Another $40 million so they can do their jobs, have the staff they need, be able to make sure that these perpetrators are brought to justice.

So, we're also going to make sure that we have all you need. We're going to continue changing laws. We'll continue to make sure you have the resources you need. And I also want to acknowledge the presence of our new Superintendent of the State Police has joined us as well, and I want to make sure that we recognize his collaboration and what he'll be doing to work closely with our district attorneys.

So, with that, I want to make sure that people know we are united, we are standing firmly against crime, protect the people of our state and make public safety our shared mission so all New Yorkers can have that sense of security that they deserve. And with that, I'll turn it over to District Attorney Flynn from Erie County.

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