POUGHKEEPSIE – With a substantial increase in gun violence this year, the City of Poughkeepsie Police are re-doubling their efforts with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies and community partners to curtail the violence.
Poughkeepsie Mayor Rob Rolison credits Ward 5 Common Councilwoman Yvonne Flowers with taking a leadership role in combatting gun violence not only in her ward but citywide, on a daily basis. Much of the gun violence has taken place in the fifth ward.
Poughkeepsie Police Chief Tom Pape was joined by members of law enforcement from the New York State Police and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office along with the Dutchess County DA’s Office in a briefing on the upscaled efforts by all of the agencies, including federal law enforcement to crack down on gun crimes in the city.
“This level of gun violence is something we have not seen in decades in Poughkeepsie,” Pape said. Calling on every resource available, Pape noted that the multiple police agencies have been working together for several years under the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative but will now be deploying additional officers and resources to the city.
Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati is assigning a number of deputies to patrol the city on a regular basis. “As sheriff of Dutchess County who was born and raised in this city and resides in Poughkeepsie, it is my pleasure to work with the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department and the New York State Police, along with our federal agencies, to assist in securing the safety of the city’s residents, business community, and those who visit Poughkeepsie.”
Poughkeepsie Police Captain Rich Wilson also announced that there are six new license plate reader cameras deployed in “high-crime areas of the city that just went active at the beginning of the month.” Wilson said the technology will be a tremendous asset to detectives who are investigating violent incidents, including the recent homicide on Mansion Street. That murder was caught on several private surveillance systems and city technology also captured vital information that is aiding the investigation.
Rolison noted that several changes in state law have made it difficult to prosecute offenders. He cited the “Raise the Age” law that allows teens accused of gun crimes to be prosecuted in family court instead of criminal court. Chief Assistant District Attorney Matt Weishaupt has pledged to assist the efforts to curb gun violence in the city by providing every resource his office has, admitting that the task is a “huge undertaking” that needs to happen to restore safety in the city.
