NEWBURGH – Law enforcement is targeting the criminals in Newburgh most likely to kill or be killed and offering them a life out of crime.
It’s part of the Gun-Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. The new component, Group Violence Intervention (GVI), is offering those identified as members of violent gangs an opportunity to turn their lives around.
On Wednesday night, October 21, a group of 14 of those gang members was brought in and told it will no longer be business as usual with crime in the city. They were offered the opportunity to go straight, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
“We showed them that if you choose not to do that, what will happen to you like what happened to the 118 William Street group, but the only difference is this group has an option; they have a choice moving forward,” Hoovler said.
Over the last several months, law enforcement subjected the gang known as the 118 William Street group to enhanced scrutiny and as a result, 20 members were arrested and charged with various crimes, 18 committed in Orange County and two in Albany County.
The group brought in on Wednesday heard from law enforcement, a parent of a child killed in gang violence, a reformed gang member and clergy.
Police Chief Daniel Cameron said they have “brought an initiative to Newburgh that has been successfully used in major cities across the United States.”
The good news in Newburgh so far this year is that law enforcement has reduced violent crime by 17.5 percent as compared to the average of the previous five years.
Hoovler said the effort will continue in Newburgh as long as state funding continues.
Participating in the Group Intervention Initiative are the DA and Newburgh Police, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, County Probation, parole officers from the State Department of Corrections and Community Services, and the US Attorney’s Office.
The GVI strategy is being supported by the National Network for Safe Communities, program of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
