Click here to see a campaign video on crime (930kb)
Click here to hear the video soundtrack only (161kb)
Governor Cuomo has made fighting crime a top priority since he was first
elected on a platform promising to produce "jobs and
justice." He has pushed for tougher laws, built dozens of prisons and is the
state's leading advocate for strict gun control measures.
The Governor's philosophy is simple: criminals must know they will be caught
and once they're caught, they will be punished. Despite declining crime
statistics, Governor Cuomo wants even tougher laws to make all New Yorkers
safer.
That's why he built more jail cells than any other Governor in the history of
the state -- doubling capacity to more than 60,000 cells.
The Governor pushed the State Police to its greatest strength ever and New
York's war on drugs is among the nation's most aggressive. He created statewide
drug enforcement networks that have put thousands of drug dealers behind
bars.
Governor Cuomo established New York's Shock Incarceration program, the
largest of its kind in the nation -- boot camp- like prisons that have saved
taxpayers roughly $300 million.
Like you, Mario Cuomo knows that all the tough laws we've passed and all the
prisons we've built are not enough.
New York was the first state in the nation to place drug treatment programs
on prison grounds. These on-site programs have ensured that thousands of
inmates receive help in breaking the dependency which leads them to crime. The
Governor has made the state's drug treatment network the largest in the nation,
creating nearly 30,000 slots since 1983. Lieutenant Governor Lundine, Chairman
of the Governor's Anti-Drug Abuse Council, has led the fight to address drug
abuse treatment and prevention.
The Governor has announced programs such as the New York State Midnight
Basketball League to provide opportunities for youth to get off the street and
into gyms where they will also receive job and counseling services.
The Governor's top priority right now is to make New York safer by cracking
down on illegal guns, including an immediate ban on assault weapons.
Governor Cuomo's anti-gun program also includes funding for special police
teams to track down illegal guns and arrest their owners -- a program called
"GRIP", the Gun Retrieval and Interdiction Program. Upstate, the Governor has
expanded "Operation Firebreak" placing 100 specially trained investigators to
stem the tide of drugs and subsequent violence that habit brings. He has also
called for longer sentences for felons who use a gun during a crime.
For those who commit three violent crimes, life in prison without any chance
of parole. That's called "three strikes and you're in" -- permanently.