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Division of Criminal Justice Services

'Significant Progress': Murders, Shootings, Car Thefts Down In Region, Hochul Says 'Significant Progress': Murders, Shootings, Car Thefts Down In Region, Hochul Says
'Significant Progress': Murders, Shootings, Car Thefts Down In Region, Hochul Says Gov. Kathy Hochul is crediting recent multimillion-dollar policing initiatives with bringing down overall crime in the region. Speaking at the New York State Police Troop G headquarters in Latham on Monday, March 4, Hochul said Capital Region cities participating in the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative all saw the number of shootings with injuries drop in 2023 compared to the previous year. The initiative provides tens of millions of dollars in state funding to local police departments to pay for equipment, overtime, and training meant to reduce shootings and homi…
Violent Crime Down Across NY Compared To Last Year, New Report Shows Violent Crime Down Across NY Compared To Last Year, New Report Shows
Violent Crime Down Across NY Compared To Last Year, New Report Shows New York state is seeing fewer incidents of violent crime, according to a new report. Data from the first comprehensive overview of crime trends across the state showed a six-percent drop in violent crime outside of New York City during the first half of 2023 compared to the first six months of 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday, Nov. 9. The data, which was collectively reported by police departments and sheriffs’ offices in 57 counties, showed decreases in each of the four violent crime categories. Murders were down 27 percent and rapes dropped 16 percent, the report showed. Robbe…
Hochul Wants To Raise Legal Age To Buy Some Types Of Guns In NY After Buffalo, Texas Shootings Hochul Wants To Raise Legal Age To Buy Some Types Of Guns In NY After Buffalo, Texas Shootings
Hochul Wants To Raise Legal Age To Buy Some Types Of Guns In NY After Buffalo, Texas Shootings In the wake of the latest mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas, Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling on state lawmakers to pass legislation making it more difficult for young New Yorkers to purchase some types of guns. Hochul proposed several proposals to close loopholes and strengthen gun laws in New York, including raising the age to purchase rifles to 21. “How does an 18-year-old purchase an AR-15 in the State of New York, State of Texas? That person's not old enough to buy a legal drink,” she said. “I want to work with the legislature to change that. I want it to be 21. I think that's…
Alert Issued For Sex Offender Wanted For Attempted Murder In Hudson Valley Alert Issued For Sex Offender Wanted For Attempted Murder In Hudson Valley
Alert Issued For Sex Offender Wanted For Attempted Murder In Hudson Valley A Level 3 sex offender convicted of sexually abusing a teenager in the region is wanted by police. An alert was issued for 60-year-old Armendo Moreno, who is wanted by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, who allegedly had “deviate sexual intercourse” with his 17-year-old victim in Westchester County. According to the Division of Criminal Justice Services, on Jan. 11, 1984, Moreno used a weapon to threaten, assault, and sexually abuse a teen. In March 1986, Moreno was convicted of second-degree attempted murder, sodomy, aggravated sexual abuse, assault, a…
Alert Issued For Wanted Hudson Valley Sex Offender Alert Issued For Wanted Hudson Valley Sex Offender
Alert Issued For Wanted Hudson Valley Sex Offender Seen him? An alert has been issued by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision's (DOCCS) Office of Special Investigations for a sex offender in the Hudson Valley who is wanted for failing to register in Ulster County. William Knox, age 51, whose last known address is in Kingston, a Level 3 sex offender, is wanted for repeatedly failing to register as a sex offender due to his conviction of sexual-related offenses in California. According to officials, Knox has a history of gang affiliation and violent offenses. It is alleged that Knox beat a woman with a ba…
Four Sex Offenders Living Next Door To Nursery School In Area, Police Say Four Sex Offenders Living Next Door To Nursery School In Area, Police Say
Four Sex Offenders Living Next Door To Nursery School In Area, Police Say A group of area lawmakers are up in arms after learning that four registered sex offenders were living next to a nursery school. The issue came to light on Tuesday, Feb. 2, in Orange County when the Town of Newburgh Police Department released a list of Level-2 and Level-3 sex offenders living in the Town of Newburgh. A search by the Hudson Valley Post found that four of the offenders were living in the Orange Lake Motel, just 300 feet from the Building Blocks Childcare Center in Newburgh. The sex offenders include Herman Johnson, Gregory Gonzalez, Derrick Goodman, and Steven Linares, …
New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed
New Yorkers Can Now Apply To Have Their Marijuana Conviction Records Destroyed New Yorkers who had their low-level  marijuana convictions expunged from their record, per the passage of the Marijuana and Decriminalization and Expungements Bill in July of 2019, can now go a step further by requesting that the physical documentation of these arrests be destroyed. Although the history of these charges have now been sealed from the view in nearly all circumstances under the bill, they can still seen by agencies granting pistol permits or by law enforcement agencies during the hiring process for a job as a police or peace officer, until they are fully destroyed, accordi…
Child Sex Abuser Nabbed After Hiding For Several Years In Area, Police Say Child Sex Abuser Nabbed After Hiding For Several Years In Area, Police Say
Child Sex Abuser Nabbed After Hiding For Several Years In Area, Police Say A “lifetime” registered sex offender convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl was arrested after he was found living in the Hudson Valley without alerting authorities in years, police said. Clifford Brantley, 67, was arrested by police investigators in Ulster County in the Town of Lloyd after he was found living at the Valley Vista Assisted Living Facility in Highland, officials said.  Brantley had been living at the assisted living facility since 2017 and failed to register as a level 3 sex offender and failed to disclose to the facility. The Division of Criminal Justice Se…
New Requirements For Sex Offenders Using Social Apps Proposed In NY New Requirements For Sex Offenders Using Social Apps Proposed In NY
New Requirements For Sex Offenders Using Social Apps Proposed In NY A new proposal from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would regulate registered sex offenders from using social media applications and other online methods to contact and exploit children. In his 11th proposal of the 2020 State of the State agenda, Cuomo introduced legislation to prevent convicted sex offenders from using social media accounts, dating apps, and video game chat functions to target minors. The proposal is an extension of New York's e-STOP law, which passed in 2008 and requires sex offenders to register some online activities with state officials. According to Cuomo, “wit…
Registered Sex Offender Admits To Sex Assault Of 11-Year-Old In Area Registered Sex Offender Admits To Sex Assault Of 11-Year-Old In Area
Registered Sex Offender Admits To Sex Assault Of 11-Year-Old In Area A registered sex offender has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in the area, officials said. Orange County resident Jeremiah Hochteil, 35, of Montgomery, pleaded guilty in Orange County Court to two counts of first-degree rape, admitting as part of the plea that he had sexual contact and intercourse with one victim earlier this year and another in 2004. According to Town of Montgomery Police Investigator Stephen Ragni. the girl was assaulted between July and August, multiple times. As part of his plea, Hochteil is expected to receive a term of 10 years in prison on …
Sex Offender Faces Felony Charge After Failure To Report Move In Area Sex Offender Faces Felony Charge After Failure To Report Move In Area
Sex Offender Faces Felony Charge After Failure To Report Move In Area A registered sex offender is facing new charges after failing to report an address change in the area. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, detectives from the Saugerties Police Department arrested 29-year-old Christopher Smith after he failed to register a change of address after moving from the City of Kingston to Glasco in Ulster County last month. The New York State Sex Offender Registry had Smith living on Brewster Street in Kingston, when he was living on Delaware Street in the Town of Saugerties. The investigation into the move found that he never notified authorities, a condition of his release. T…
Hudson Valley Registered Sex Offender Sentenced For Sexual Conduct With Boy Hudson Valley Registered Sex Offender Sentenced For Sexual Conduct With Boy
Hudson Valley Registered Sex Offender Sentenced For Sexual Conduct With Boy A registered sex offender has been sentenced for having sexual contact with a teenage boy in Northern Westchester. Kenneth Brody, 57, of Verplanck, received a 74-year state prison sentence from Westchester County Court Judge Susan Cacace on Tuesday,  Nov. 20 after his Sept. 26 conviction following a jury trial. On Friday, April 21, New York State Police and the Westchester County Child Advocacy investigated reports of a sexual offense that had been reported involving the Level 2 sex offender. According to police, during the investigation, Brody subjected the boy to multiple acts …
Level 3 Sex Offender Reports Move Near Elementary School In Area Level 3 Sex Offender Reports Move Near Elementary School In Area
Level 3 Sex Offender Reports Move Near Elementary School In Area A registered Level 3 sex offender has moved into a residence in the shadow of a Hudson Valley elementary school. Calvin Buford, a designated sexually violent offender, has moved into an Elizabeth Street residence in Kingston, a stone's throw away from George Washington Elementary School, which is approximately .1 miles away, according to Google Maps. The Division of Criminal Justice Services has assigned Buford a Level 3 threat, which means he is a “high-risk repeat offender and possible threat to public safety.” He has also been designated as a sexually violent offender. According to the …