Nassau County Police receive nearly $1 million in grants

The Nassau County Police Department will receive nearly $1 million through New York State’s Operation IMPACT, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.

According to a press release from Cuomo’s office, the 17 counties to receive money report 80 percent of the crime in the state outside of New York City.

The money NCPD will receive, just over $971,000, is meant to target violent and gun crime, as well as domestic violence cases through funding personnel and technology.

“We must do all we can to ensure that New York State is a safe place to live, raise a family and do business,” Cuomo said. “This funding through Operation IMPACT will provide much-needed resources so that local law enforcement partners can develop community-specific strategies designed to prevent and reduce crime.”

Operation IMPACT consists of partnerships among the police departments, district attorney’s offices, sheriff’s offices and probation departments in each county, as well as state and federal agencies. The grants, administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, total nearly $13 million for all 17 counties.

NCPD will receive the sixth-highest grant offered by Operation IMPACT. According to the Operation IMPACT website, NCPD received more than $7 million in grants between 2004 and 2010. The amount awarded in 2011 was not readily available.

Hempstead Police will also receive funding through Operation IMPACT, according to the press release.

The grants are awarded competitively, with the amounts determined by jurisdictions with the highest volume of crime. IMPACT jurisdictions experienced a nearly 4 percent reduction in crime.

“Local governments must constantly do more with less,” said Elizabeth Glazer, New York’s deputy secretary for public safety. “Funding available through Operation IMPACT provides agencies in the state’s urban centers — some of which have been hit harder by the financial crisis — with additional resources to fight violent crime that destroys families and communities.”

The NCPD had no comment when grants were announced Monday afternoon.