State Earmarks $21M for Gun Violence; Recipient Details Undisclosed | The Locally Times
State records show $21M will fund 14 SNUG programs but do not name the recipients or provide performance metrics.
## State Announces $21M Grant, Omits Key Details Governor Kathy Hochul’s office announced on February 25, 2026, the availability of $21 million in grants to address gun violence. The announcement specifies that these programs use prevention initiatives to support individuals identified as being most at risk of gun violence. Publicly available documents do not name the 14 programs selected to receive the grants, nor do they detail the criteria used for their selection. The state’s announcement also does not provide a breakdown of how the $21 million will be allocated among the programs or outline the specific accountability measures and performance metrics that will be used to track the effectiveness of the investment. ## Albany Police Chief Departs Amid Unquantified Claims On the same day as the state funding announcement, the City of Albany announced a leadership change in its police department. Chief Hawkins has been the longest-serving Albany Police Chief in more than 40 years, having been appointed in September 2018. The document also credits him with playing a role in the NYS GIVE Initiative, a state gun violence reduction program. His work included creating New York State’s largest Crime Analysis Center, integrating social workers into police operations, and establishing a paid Police Cadet Program. ## Conflicting Records Obscure Albany Mayoral Leadership Public records from the City of Albany on February 25 present conflicting information regarding the city’s executive leadership. The news release announcing the departure of Police Chief Hawkins names Kathy Sheehan as the Mayor of Albany. However, a separate news flash posted on the city's website on February 24, 2026, identifies Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs as Mayor in an announcement about a proposed amendment to the city's Inclusionary Zoning ordinance. ## Unanswered Questions on Local Impact and Integration The state’s $21 million grant announcement leaves critical operational questions unanswered. The records do not specify whether any of the 14 SNUG programs slated for funding are located in Albany or the surrounding Capital Region, making it impossible to assess the direct local impact from the documents. It also remains unclear how the new state funding will integrate with or supplement existing programs like the NYS GIVE Initiative, in which the outgoing Albany police chief was involved. The available documents also do not specify the long-term sustainability plans for these programs beyond the current grant period.