BUFFALO, N.Y. — After a year of work, Erie County's Gun Violence Prevention Task Force provided its first status report to the community on Monday.
The task force was formed last year following 36 shooting incidents in the City of Buffalo alone during July of 2021. The group is a collaboration of various Erie County departments, along with others including the Erie County Sheriff's Office and the Erie County District Attorney's Office, the Buffalo Police Department, members of the Erie County legislature, and local anti-violence leaders.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said to the public during Monday's presser, "We do have some good news to report, as a comparison of 2021 to 2022, and that's a reduction in the first 3 months of the year in the number of shootings, the number of people who were shot using guns, as well as the number of victims of gun violence."
Comparably speaking, Poloncarz pointed out, neither Rochester nor Syracuse saw drastic reductions like Buffalo did.
"Compared to other urban areas in New York State, we are one of the only urban areas to see actually see a reduction in gun violence," Poloncarz shared.
And while data collected from the Gun Involved Elimination or GIVE program highlights a continuing downward trend, Poloncarz did point out there is a notable spike in May due to the May 14 mass shooting at the Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue in East Buffalo.
Among its achievements so far, the task force says it was able to expand the Summer Youth Employment Program with a focus on gun violence prevention in targeted zip codes throughout the city. The additional funding allowed 73 more young people to engage in a 16-week program, working 25 hours a week.
Murray Holeman with Stop The Violence Coalition tells 2 On Your Side, "We have kids, youth in our community, that are working in our community right now, not just picking up paper in our community, but learning trades, financing, learning how to put the gun down."
Dr. Gale Berstein, Erie County's Commissioner of Health is also part of the task force.
“National experts, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Public Health Association, recognize gun violence as a public health crisis. Our Task Force focuses on one of the hallmarks of public health: prevention,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “As a county, we are coming together to implement interventions that will reduce the risk of devastating physical injuries, deaths, and lasting trauma caused by guns, and contribute to a safer, more stable environment.”
The force is also working to create closer collaborations with the city and its Community Tree Planting Initiative. Research has shown a direct connection between high crime and low vegetation (trees, bushes, and shrubs). Data suggests higher rates of crime are found where there are no trees and vegetation.
The task force also hopes to distribute 300 gunlocks to county residents. In addition, it is partnering with the UB School of Social Work to create an environmental scan that will integrate mapping of gun violence hot spots with mapping of assets and resources associated with gun violence prevention and recovery.
You can read the full report here.