Law enforcement agencies in Monroe, Onondaga, Tompkins and Cayuga counties will receive a combined $10.58 million through New York's Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, according to a state funding announcement.
The four-county share is part of $35.99 million awarded to police departments, prosecutors, probation offices and sheriffs in 21 counties outside New York City. The agency-by-agency award list covers the grant year from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Rochester and Syracuse receive the largest area awards
Monroe County agencies received $6,579,486. The Rochester Police Department's $3,269,934 award is the largest local allocation; the county district attorney's office received $1,542,182, probation $1,044,722 and the sheriff's office $560,220. Greece police received $162,428.
Onondaga County agencies received $3,214,201, including $1,316,525 for Syracuse police, $1,090,703 for the district attorney's office, $440,000 for the sheriff's office and $366,973 for probation.
In Tompkins County, Ithaca police and the sheriff's office each received $176,289, and probation received $48,279. The county total was $400,857. The state award document lists no district attorney allocation for Tompkins County.
Cayuga County's $383,926 allocation includes $193,301 for Auburn police, $90,800 for probation, $72,825 for the district attorney's office and $27,000 for the sheriff's office.
What the grants support
The GIVE program funds personnel, overtime, equipment and technical assistance. Participating agencies must have comprehensive plans using evidence-based strategies to reduce shootings and firearm-related violent crime. The state Division of Criminal Justice Services administers the program, which includes 28 police agencies and their law enforcement partners statewide.
The awards continue an existing program rather than opening a new application round for residents. The state release did not specify how each area agency will divide its award among staffing, equipment and other eligible expenses.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said this is the fourth consecutive year of record GIVE funding. It said the state has invested nearly $4 billion in public safety during her tenure, including more than $1 billion for gun violence prevention, intervention and enforcement. Those are broader state spending figures, not additional awards to the four area counties.
State cites fewer shootings, but results differ by city
Shooting incidents involving injury in GIVE communities fell 19% from January through August compared with the same eight months of 2025, according to the state. The governor's office said the number of shooting victims was the lowest since New York began tracking the data two decades ago. Its release did not provide the underlying statewide counts for those comparisons.
Rochester and Syracuse each recorded a 25% decline in shooting incidents involving injury during the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, the state said. Compared with 2021, Rochester's incidents were down 67% and victims were down 64%; Syracuse's incidents and victims were each down 63%.
Thirteen participating police departments reported no firearm-related deaths through August, according to the release. That statement did not identify Rochester, Syracuse, Auburn or Ithaca as among those departments.
The declines describe outcomes in communities that receive GIVE support; the comparisons alone do not establish how much of the change was caused by the program. Agencies will use the new awards during the current grant year, which ends June 30, 2027.
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