The surge in gun violence in New York City has led to officials coming
up with new ways to combat the issue..
Brooklyn
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced a multipart plan in hope
to bring gun violence in the borough to a minimum.
The
strategy, Gonzalez says, is to combine and balance prosecution and
interruption.
“We
know that arrests and incarceration, however, alone as a strategy did not keep
us safe,” said Gonzalez. “And so, we need a multifaceted approach to get
guns out of the hands of a violent few.”
His
"Stop Violence Plan," announced last month, includes a $2.7
million digital evidence lab and an investment in the ghost gun unit.
The
NYPD says citywide shooting incidents increased by over 16% in March as compared to the same time
last year, but shootings decreased by more than 20% in the last month.
Project
Restore is also at the forefront of the gun violence initiative, with $2.5
million from the city to create partnerships between officers and violence
interrupters to target those committing gun violence crimes.
It is
still a pilot program, and Gonzalez says new information and data they receive
will shape the project, with researchers from Columbia University set to
monitor it.