Garden City police show off high-tech crime-fighting devices for Hochul

Garden City police demonstrated the department’s newest technology Wednesday for Gov. Kathy Hochul, gadgets obtained through a $465,000 state grant that will allow police to monitor 911 calls and share data with neighboring police departments.

The new technology acquired in the past few months includes drones used for security surveillance during the Ryder Cup, automatic license plate readers and emergency call technology that allows dispatchers to monitor the exact location of officers responding to calls and callers in distress, police said.

"This is exactly what law enforcement needs, and we have it in Garden City," police Insp. Gerard Kneisel said during a news conference attended by Hochul in Garden City. "Our partnership with 911 allows us to triangulate the location of the call within 3 meters and we can see the breadcrumbs of that person, if it’s an officer or someone in need."

Garden City bought a Skydio X10 drone and upgraded its 30-year-old computer-aided call system for dispatchers, patrol vehicles and officers’ mobile phones.

Previously, police said officers had to triangulate cellphone towers to find someone within 100 meters, which will now be aided by drones for officers and search and rescue teams.

Garden City is one of 18 departments in Nassau County and 21 in Suffolk County that received a combined $2.1 million in technology grants since May 2024, Hochul said.

The department will be able to share data and records among neighboring police departments, including the villages of Hempstead and Lynbrook, police said.

A shared records management system allows police to monitor crime data and patterns for surrounding villages, covering more than 100,000 residents, authorities said.

Hochul said technology has helped reduce crime numbers in Garden City, where total crime was reported down 18% over the past four years. Violent crime was also down 14% since last year and burglaries were down 34%, Hochul said.

Garden City Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson said the grant "has been a lifesaver for us."

"We really have helped the community," Jackson said. "Our response times are going down and, as the governor pointed out, our crime stats have been very well received, and we're doing a good job."

The funding was part of $127 million in law enforcement technology grants awarded statewide last year.

Suffolk police received more than $7 million in technology grants. The Town of Riverhead received nearly $1.5 million, authorities said.

The Nassau sheriff's office received more than $2 million in grants, and Nassau police and Glen Cove police each received more than $1 million, officials said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.