Law enforcement in Rochester in June announced “Rescue Our City,” an initiative that brings local, state and federal agencies into an effort using the best capabilities of each agency to cut the level of violence in Rochester.
Rochester police announced some results of “ROC” on Monday following another weekend homicide in which a teenager was shot dead in a park off Webster Avenue. Police say the number of shooting victims have decreased, but the number of murders in the city continues at a record level. Against that, police say the partnership that involves State Police, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals, the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies has arrested 34 people on firearms-related charges since June. Sixteen firearms have been seized and firearms-related cases are now being referred to federal authorities for prosecution under their tougher guidelines.
Police say they are now assigning additional mapower to this effort, assigning a sergeant, four officers and an investigator full time.
So far this year, Rochester police have confiscated 558 illegal guns, including 40 ghost guns. They’ve charged 446 people with criminal possession of a weapon.