New York state is investing $24 million in new law enforcement technology for 10 police agencies in Monroe County. Gov. Kathy Hochul made that announcement during a visit to Rochester on Friday.
Part of the investment includes upgrading the Rochester Police Department’s aging blue light camera system, which the RPD says have been useful in deterring and solving crimes. New cameras were purchased through the state’s Law Enforcement Technology grant program.
All of this comes as the city of Rochester and the county are seeing a double-digit decline in reported crime. It was an 18% drop in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same time last year.
According to reporting by local law enforcement agencies, vehicle thefts in the city have dropped 68% when comparing January through August 2025 to the same eight months in 2023. Reported thefts reached a 10-year high during that time two years ago.
Gun violence also has plummeted in Rochester, the governor’s office says, with a 57% reduction in shooting incidents with injury, a 60% decrease in the number of people shot and a 56% drop in firearm-related homicides when comparing January through September 2025 to the same nine months in 2021, when Hochul first took office.
“So, in my opinion, that’s how you fight crime,” said Hochul. “You fund the police at record levels, you equip them with the best technology, you improve coordination between agencies, you engage young people before they head down the wrong path and you change laws. Make them laws that are rooted in common sense.”
Hochul also pointed to the success of smaller, grassroots organizations like SNUG, Project Rise and the Crime Analysis Center as contributing factors in the drop in crime.