Hochul Shines Light On $21M+ Invested In LI's Law Enforcement Technology

GARDEN CITY, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul visited the Village of Garden City Police Department on Wednesday to highlight more than $21 million investment in law enforcement technology across Long Island police agencies.

The investments are aimed at modernizing law enforcement technology and equipment, Hochul said in a release.

Hochul's visit to Long Island included a tour of the police department and a demonstration of the new technology. The technology was purchased with the state’s law enforcement technology grants, according to Hochul.

In total, Hochul said, $127 million in grant funding has been distributed to 378 police departments and sheriffs’ offices across New York, and has since shown results of improving officer safety, strengthening operations, and protecting community members, a release said.

According to Hochul, the investments in public safety have contributed to a 14 percent decline in reported crime on Long Island — and a 75 percent decrease in shooting deaths, a statistic reported by the Nassau County Police Department.

"The safety of New Yorkers is my number one priority," Governor Hochul said. "That is why I’ve dedicated resources to ensure our law enforcement teams have access to modern tools and advanced technology that enables them to fight crime and the evolving threat landscape. These efforts are delivering real progress and making communities safer across the state — and I will continue to support our local police departments, sheriffs and law enforcement partners as they step up to protect New Yorkers day in and day out."

The Village of Garden City Police Department used $465,000 in technology funding to buy a Skydio X10 Drone and install a modern computer-aided dispatch system. The system was implemented both in the department’s headquarters and in patrol cars to help officers respond to dispatch calls more quickly and effectively, Hochul said.

The CAD technology will help police officers use a caller’s cell phone to locate them more accurately, even if the individual is on the move. The CAD also has a records management system to help police use data to identify patterns of incidents in order to create more targeted policing. The full breakdown of agencies that received law enforcement technology grants can be found online.

The Village of Garden City Mayor Ed Finnerman spoke highly of having Governor Hochul visit.

“We were very pleased to have hosted Governor Hochul and team today to observe the technological enhancements the LE Tech program provided to our police department’s capabilities,” he said. “The Administration’s grant provided the necessary resources allowing the GCPD to enhance three specific strategies. These improvements resulted in our PD markedly improving its response time to many different scenarios throughout the Village.”

Governor Hochul also shared crime statistics, reported by police departments in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

In Garden City, index crime decreased 17 percent, and property crime decreased 16 percent, according to a release. Index crime and violent crime each declined by 14 percent, as reported by The NCPD and Suffolk Police Department, and more information on this data can be found online. Other notable allocations included the amount of almost $1.5 million earmarked for the Riverhead Police Department and $980,225, which went to the Southold Police Department. The City of Glen Cove Police Department received $1,114,493.

The NCPD is one of 28 participating in New York State’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. NCPD reported a decline in gun violence since last year, with fewer shooting incidents with injury and fewer shooting victims; they also reported fewer firearm violence resulting in death, Hochul said.

Governor Hochul earmarked $347 million in funding, a measure that was officially signed into law in May, to the FY26 enacted budget for gun violence prevention programs to drive gun violence down, such as GIVE, and to support initiatives to improve public safety and support for victims and survivors of crime, she said.