Buffalo homicides drop to lowest level since the 1980s; shootings also on a steep decline

Violent crime has been declining nationwide in recent years, but there are some places where some types of violent crime have increased, including some with a high aggravated assault rate, said Jillian Snider, a retired New York City police officer and an adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Community organizations on the front lines working to reduce violence in Buffalo say a key to seeing improvements in the numbers has been developing greater collaboration among nonprofits and various government entities, including police agencies.

Collaboration between community groups and police tend to improve the relationship between them, which leads to more cooperation with police, and the community programs work when they have credible messengers, Snider said.

Snider pointed to the Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative, known as GIVE, which has been implemented in Buffalo and across the state, as being one of the potential contributors for the drop in violence in Buffalo, along with improved perceptions of law enforcement by the community.