www.capitalnews9.com/content/headlines/?ArID=161803&SecID=33Pataki announces new initiative
Updated: 12/22/2005 6:22 PM
By: Jaime Kazlo
Just weeks after two New York City police officers were shot to death, Governor Pataki has stepped up the penalties against those who possess illegal guns. And to keep the wheels of justice moving, he announced a newly created Gun Trafficking Task Force that will be made up of 100 State Police investigators.
Pataki said, "These investigators will fan out, work with federal officials, work with local officials across this state to get illegal guns and to arrest and convict those who possess or traffic in these guns."
This $4.5 million initiative comes just one day after Governor Pataki signed two new crime-fighting bills into law. One has increased penalties for those who injure or kill police officers. The other has toughened current laws to keep illegal guns off the streets of New York.
Pataki said, "Yesterday, possession of 19 illegal handguns or the selling of nine illegal guns, you could have gotten off with probation. As of today, you sell one illegal gun, you possess three or more, you can get seven years behind bars."
Pataki said the help of local law enforcement officials will greatly increase the number of illegal guns and criminals taken off the streets of New York.
Albany Police Chief James Tuffey said, "By them assigning 100 investigators and ATF's commitment, it will give us more staff to work together and target one area of crime, while the other officers are still doing the other parts of preventing crime in the city."
The officers will be deployed over the next two weeks to communities with the highest rates of gun violence across the state.
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