Western New York law enforcement departments have been recent beneficiaries of state funding toward crime-prevention technology. Tonawanda is among those departments, which received close to $750,000 and demonstrated some of those new technologies on a visit by Governor Kathy Hochul.
Among the assets were software for mapping crime scenes and headsets for virtual firearms and stun gun training. The assets will help improve service as well as safety, Tonawanda Police Chief James Stauffiger said.
“These tools are actually lifelines that enable our officers to serve and respond more effectively in the complex, complex world in which we live in today," he said. "And with these advancements, we can improve our response times, boost our operational efficiency, and ensure this, ensure the safety of both our residents and our officers.”
But Hochul says that’s not the only priority.
She also expresses support for mental health services, and Project RISE, which works to reduce crime in Buffalo and a select number of communities with disproportionately high gun violence. Programs Hochul believes are working, citing a drop in violent crime in Buffalo, as recent FBI data showed.
“This is really important to me to keep supporting those, those violence disruptor programs," she said. "We allocated $2 million for Project RISE, and that provides mental health services and mentoring and other services.”
An increasing concern Hochul points to is the evolution of property crimes like car thefts, which involve copying a person’s key-fob frequency to unlock and steal their vehicle. The Master Locksmith Association suggests drivers can keep their keys in a metal box or Faraday pouch to prevent hackers from stealing the fob’s signal.
