Exclusive: Westchester County Officials Tout Analysis Showing Notable Drop In Crime Over Last 4 Years
WESTCHESTER, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- From securing unlicensed firearms to tapping a network of surveillance cameras, Westchester County says various initiatives are driving down crime.
CBS2's Tony Aiello got an exclusive look Friday at the encouraging numbers over the last four year.
There are more than 40 police departments in the county, all sending data to the U.S. Department of Justice. An analysis of that info has County Executive George Latimer cautiously optimistic.
"A general decrease in crime. It's encouraging. There's never a reason to be cocky about these things because, on any given day, any number of things might happen," Latimer said.
Since 2017, Westchester has seen an 18.8% decrease in violent crimes and a 23.3% drop in violent crimes committed with firearms.
Property crimes also dropped 9.4% since 2017.
In the last four years, countless Westchester residents, including Aiello, installed doorbell security cameras.
Two weeks ago, Aiello's Ring captured a man attempting to open his front door at 2 a.m. Aiello promptly shared the video with local police.
Cops said the proliferation of these devices helps investigations and acts as a deterrent.
"I'd say it's helpful, absolutely, because just like we know it's there, the bad guys know. And so they're looking out for those cameras," said Deputy Police Commissioner Terrance Raynor.
Meanwhile, Westchester Police are looking out for unlicensed guns. The pistol licensing unit moves much more quickly to secure guns when the pistol permit expires and is not renewed: A 370% increase in weapons secured since 2017.
"Possession of a firearm may be a crime, but it's a bigger crime if that firearm makes it to the street and it harms or kills someone, one of our residents," Raynor said.
The county said it will continue to improve operations at it's real-time crime center using surveillance cameras and other tools to keep crime trending down.