Westchester County Unveils Joint Effort To Tackle Gun And Gang Violence
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Tuesday is National Night Out Against Crime, an annual event to bridge the divide and bring police and communities closer together.
In Westchester, it comes as the DA pushes local cops to work more closely with each other.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reports, a constant stream of data, surveillance video, and human intelligence flows into the Westchester County Real Time Crime Center. It's an ambitious effort to monitor crime and response from 40 separate local police departments, some with historic rivalries.
"We have seen an increased cooperation throughout the years with the sharing of information and intelligence. Now what I'm seeing even greater is that we actually have resources and manpower going between the different jurisdictions," said Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Glenn Scott.
The three biggest cities in the county are taking things to the next level: A new initiative with the district attorney to prevent gun violence and gang activity, such as a recent drive-by shooting in Yonkers.
"We will utilize a precision policing and precision prosecution model, targeting repeat violent offenders," said Westchester DA Mimi Rocah.
Rocah says criminals don't hesitate to cross city lines. Cops from the three cities will be posted at the center to work together.
"Somebody has a question about something that happened in another jurisdiction, we have someone right in the room that can answer that question," said Westchester Department of Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Gleason.
"We are laser focused on this issue with point people, regular meetings, and resource sharing,' Rocah said.
They're sending the message that not only are the cops watching, they're working together, knowing an arrest in one jurisdiction could prevent a crime in another.
