U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee has approved the FY2011 Appropriations Bill which includes $500,000 for the City of Yonkers Police Department. The funding will be used to expand the Westside Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) program, to strategically target school and domestic violence, as well as robberies and other violent crime on the Westside. Schumer and Gillibrand worked closely with members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for the project in this year’s spending bill.
“To protect our quality of life, it is vital that Yonkers has the tools and resources it needs to respond to emergencies,” Schumer said. “These federal dollars will go a long way to ensure that Yonkers has the boots on the ground to respond to emergencies and ensure our communities are safe and secure. I will continue to work to ensure that New York receives its fair share for our first responders.”
“After spending time in Yonkers, hearing from families here and working with local leaders, I know how critical these federal resources are for making Yonkers safer for families and small businesses in this community,” Senator Gillibrand said. “This investment will help give local law enforcement the resources they need to combat senseless violence, and keep our schools and communities safe.”
The Westside Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) program will include intensive patrols on the west side of Yonkers, precinct Anti-Robbery Units, School Units to respond to crime in the schools and coordinate crime and gang prevention curriculum with the Yonkers Public Schools, and Precinct Domestic Violence Units.
The Yonkers Police Department has been actively fortifying relationships with its community partners to prevent crime and reduce recidivism. The YPD has currently increased the number of evidence based crime prevention programs in the City and has spearheaded the Yonkers Youth Crime Enforcement Coalition, which focuses on crime prevention and works with community partners on Operation Ceasefire to reform violent offenders.
Now that the bill has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, it will be sent to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. Following approval by the Full Committee and the Senate, the bill will move towards Conference with the House and then to the President for signature.