Following the US Supreme Court’s reversal of New York’s century-old conceal carry law, which prompted the New York state legislature to pass sweeping new gun safety legislation in New York, DA Rocah recommitted her fight against gun violence by rolling out a comprehensive five-point Gun Safety Plan in June 2022. To keep Westchester safe, the Office prioritizes initiatives with law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute gun crimes and traffickers.
Gun and Gang Violence
The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the Mount Vernon Police Department, the New Rochelle Police Department and the Yonkers Police Department, launched the Gun & Gang Violence Initiative in 2021.
The goal of this initiative is to prevent violent crime utilizing a precision policing and precision prosecution model targeting repeat violent offenders through short-term and long-term violent crime investigations. Partners focus on using all available investigatory tools and techniques to build cases against violent offenders and their enablers.
This model allows for each law enforcement entity to share resources and information about cross-border criminal activity more effectively and efficiently, and provide more coordinated enforcement efforts and collaborative decisions about state, federal or joint prosecutions.
Gun Involved Violence Elimination
The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office coordinates the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Initiative, funded by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. The GIVE Initiative’s goal is to reduce and prevent shootings and homicides in Mount Vernon and Yonkers. To accomplish this goal, the Office collaborates with local police departments, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the Westchester Departments of Public Safety and Probation, and other community stakeholders.
Partnering with Schools on Common Sense Gun Safety
The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office works closely with local schools to provide resources, training and support in an effort to increase awareness about gun safety. In partnership with Moms Demand Action and Westchester school districts, the Office launched the Safe Storage Program to proactively curb gun violence and help reduce the risk of school shootings and gun suicides among young people. The program provides valuable resources on gun safety to Westchester school districts, which includes sending every student home with information on the importance of keeping guns safely secured and out of the hands of children and teens. As part of the program, the countywide Be SMART virtual training focuses on increasing awareness on safe firearm storage practices and highlighting ways families can help reduce the number of child gun deaths.
Red Flag Law and Extreme Risk Protection Order
The New York State Red Flag Law prevents individuals who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing any kind of firearm, and is an important tool to keep Westchester County safe. An Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) is a court order issued when a person may be dangerous to themselves or others. An ERPO prohibits a person from buying or possessing guns and requires the person to surrender any guns they already own or possess. An ERPO case may be started by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement, a school official, or a member of the person’s family or household.
The Office can help Westchester County residents who believe an ERPO should be served on an individual who might use a firearm to commit a violent act.