As the number of reported shootings this summer in Kingston climbs, the mayor and police chief have announced a wide collaboration among law enforcement agencies to address crime in the city. The result will be more police officers visible on the streets to deter or prevent crime, and more personnel working on solving crimes that have already been committed. State troopers, sheriff’s deputies, Kingston city and Ulster town police will be involved in the effort, as well as staffers from the district attorney’s office. For the effort to be successful, however, public officials are urging members of the public to cooperate more with local officers.
The various personnel will be “working in coordination to focus our policing efforts to prevent future violent incidents, as well as assisting in investigative work to solve the recent rash of crimes,” according to the statement released yesterday. Additional patrols and investigative units will come from state police, a special investigator from the district attorney’s office will be assigned specifically to Kingston crimes, and “additional support” will come from the sheriff’s department.
Chief Egidio Tinti said last month that he was requesting additional resources to aid in the investigations; this appears to be the answer to that call. In the released statement, the chief said, “Our department is well-equipped but the number of incidents has overwhelmed our resources. Having the additional assistance will mean more officers for increased street presence and the behind-the-scenes investigations.”
Both Mayor Steven Noble and David Clegg, the county’s district attorney, are framing this is a problem with gun violence and drug trafficking alike, with Clegg maintaining that there are only a “small number of offenders responsible for these crimes.”
Cooperating with police to solve these crimes is a theme hit on by the mayor, as well as the common council members quoted in the statement. Reynolds Scott-Childress is seeking to remind residents of the positive track record of their local officers, and Tony Davis is calling for Kingstonians to “bridge the divide and bring peace to our streets together.” Noble, too, emphasized the need to work with law enforcement personnel. Tinti has spoken about the lack of public support and interaction in the wake of the nationwide tensions that erupted after George Floyd was killed by an officer in Minneapolis.
The push will begin next week and is scheduled to last for 10 weeks total.
The most recent shooting came Sunday night, Aug. 2, when shots were fired at an occupied residence at 34 East St. James Street, a residence that had been targeted previously in February. No one was hit in either incident. The shooting was the 10th in Kingston since June 26.