Kingston, Middletown, Newburgh Ranked Safest in New York

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a dramatic drop in gun violence in three Hudson Valley communities, including Middletown, Kingston, and the City of Newburgh.

While gun violence continues to be a major issue in cities across the country, some Hudson Valley communities are seeing encouraging progress, and the latest numbers from New York State show just how significant those improvements have been.

Zero Gun-Related Homicides in Kingston, Middletown, and Newburgh, NY

Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that Kingston, Middletown, and the City of Newburgh were all among 18 communities across New York State that reported zero gun-related homicides during the first four months of 2026.

The announcement comes as part of New York’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative, a statewide program focused on reducing shootings and violent crime in communities outside of New York City.

Gun Violence Drops in Parts of New York

According to new data released by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, shooting incidents involving injuries dropped 17 percent statewide in GIVE communities compared to the same period last year. The number of shooting victims also declined 19 percent, while firearm-related deaths dropped an impressive 43 percent.

For residents in Kingston, Middletown, and Newburgh, the numbers are especially encouraging.

Each was included on a list of 18 GIVE police departments that did not report a single firearm-related homicide between January and April of this year. Other cities on the list included Yonkers, Troy, Utica, Ithaca, Spring Valley, Mount Vernon, and Schenectady.

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Governor Hochul credited the progress to continued investments in law enforcement and community-based anti-violence programs.

“New Yorkers are safer today because of our continued investments in proven, data-driven strategies that are helping reduce gun violence and save lives,” Hochul said in a statement. “Everyone deserves to live free from the scourge of gun violence.”

GIVE Initiative in New York

Administered by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the GIVE initiative provides more than $36 million in funding to participating police departments, district attorneys’ offices, probation departments, and sheriff’s offices across the state. The program also provides training and technical assistance aimed at helping communities combat gun violence more effectively.

State officials say the initiative supports a comprehensive approach to reducing violence by combining data-driven policing, focused deterrence, street outreach, youth engagement, and community-based violence prevention strategies.

The GIVE initiative includes 28 police departments across New York State and focuses on intelligence-sharing, proactive policing, and violence prevention efforts. State officials say those agencies account for roughly 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms outside of New York City.

The long-term numbers show even bigger improvements.

Numbers Significantly Drop

Compared to the first four months of 2021, shooting incidents with injuries in GIVE communities have dropped 64 percent statewide. Shooting victims declined from 373 to 127, while firearm-related murders fell from 61 deaths to 21.