Westchester County Executive George Latimer To Give Westchester Weekly Update: Focus On Crime For August 2

Press release from the Westchester County Government:

August 2, 2021

As Law Enforcement Officials nationally aim to combat crime, Latimer and Public Safety Deputy Commissioner Terrance Raynor discussed the County’s efforts resulting in an 11 percent decrease in index crimes since 2017.

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View Crime Statistics Discussion

2017 to 2020

Latimer said: “I commend the work of our brave men and women in making the streets of Westchester County safer than four years ago. Fighting crime is sometimes with a heavy hand, and sometimes it’s making more proactive and inclusive choices. Proactive and inclusive choices – which are hallmarks of my administration- are what we are seeing here today. All the law enforcement in this County is working to make Westchester safe and I am glad to say today that we are seeing the results of their hard work.”

Westchester County Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sheriff Thomas Gleason said: “I want to thank County Executive Latimer for his support of our brave men and women and his support of our approach to policing. Law enforcement is part of the community and it is only when we work together that we can succeed.”

Latimer said: “We cannot predict the future, but we are committed to monitoring crime statistics and providing resources where and when they might be needed.”

The County Executive also commends the work of Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah who is working to improve the safety of our County.

The decrease in crime statistics come from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and Westchester County Department of Public Safety.

Index Crimes (see source below)

11 percent decrease

Index crimes represent a total of seven major categories of crime: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle thefts.

Violent Crimes (see source below)

18.8 percent decrease

Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Property Crimes (see source below)

9.4% Decrease

Property crimes include burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts.

Violent Crimes with Firearms (see source below)

22.3 percent decrease

A subset of violent crimes in which a firearm was used during the commission of a murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Westchester County Police Pistol License Unit Activity

370 percent increase

Westchester County Department of Public Safety Deputy Commissioner Undersheriff Terrance Raynor said: “As the supervisor of this division it gives me great pride to know that we have made the streets of Westchester County safer. No one wants illegal guns floating around and falling into the wrong hands. I thank County Executive Latimer for his support in this important work.”

In order to keep legally possessed firearms from becoming illegal, a proactive measure employed by the Pistol License Unit, is to monitor pistol license expiration dates. Each time a license is not renewed prior to the expiration date, the permit holder is notified of their permit lapse and directed to surrender their firearms. In these cases the firearm can be secured at the applicant’s local police department or brought to the Westchester Department of Public Safety. In cases where the permit holder may be disabled or has passed away, members of the unit may ask a responsible family member to secure the firearm and turn it over to local law enforcement for safekeeping. These actions help to keep firearms from becoming abandoned, lost or placed into the hands of unlicensed civilians.

The unit also works closely with the County Attorney’s office when serving court orders upon firearm license holders, seizing and securing firearms pursuant to such orders.

This press release was produced by the Westchester County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.