Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi and Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey were joined by Dr. Calvin Butts and New York State Homeland Security Secretary Michael Balboni Jan. 24 as they announced their unprecedented partnership targeting illegal guns flowing into Nassau County neighborhoods.

The comprehensive plan unveiled at S.U.N.Y. College at Old Westbury, where Dr. Butts serves as president, includes three major initiatives.

The first prong of the strategy involves the police department's implementation of "GunStoppers," an initiative that offers anonymous citizens up to $2,000 in exchange for information leading to the seizure of an illegal gun. Mulvey said that the goal of the plan is to collect guns used in crimes and that the police department and district attorney will trace the source of the guns in an effort to investigate illegal gun distribution networks with tentacles in Nassau County. Mulvey encouraged citizens to call (877) 4-GUN-411 to report tips to authorities.

In 2006, there were 54 reported shootings involving injury in Nassau County. In 2007, that number climbed to 67. According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, there were 490 "crime guns" recovered in Nassau County in 2006 and 2007.

"GunStoppers is the police department's newest proactive initiative that will help us find and recover illegal guns, arrest and build cases against those who use guns to commit crimes, and dismantle illegal gun distribution networks," Commissioner Mulvey said.

The second portion of the strategy revolves around the district attorney's commitment to aggressively investigate and prosecute defendants accused of carrying a gun illegally. In cases where an illegal gun is recovered, the district attorney will demand that the defendant be sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, Rice said. Law enforcement will also investigate the source of the guns seized during the course of these investigations and prosecutions.

Rice recently created a Gun Unit within her office that is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all felony gun possession and gun-related violence cases in Nassau County. The two assistant district attorneys assigned to the unit are working closely with, among others, local law enforcement's intelligence units and with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). In addition to these specially assigned prosecutors, Rice recently appointed Richard Aborn a special assistant district attorney (ADA) to help lead her efforts against illegal guns. ADA Aborn is a nationally recognized expert in building comprehensive efforts to curb gun violence. In addition to his prior work as a prosecutor in the Manhattan DA's office, ADA Aborn has worked at the state and national level to pass public policy designed to reduce the distribution of illegal weapons. ADA Aborn is currently executive director of the Citizens Crime Commission in New York City and has agreed to serve District Attorney Rice on a pro-bono basis.

"Taking illegal guns off our streets is a top priority of my administration," Rice continued. "We will continue to push the envelope, toughen prosecutions, and attack the networks that bring guns into our communities."

The third component of the strategy is aimed at reducing the recidivism rate of parolees returning to Nassau County after serving time on gun-related offenses. Rice said that her office, in partnership with the New York State Division of Parole, would provide an additional mandatory condition on the parole of defendants released after serving time for gun-related offenses. The condition will allow the district attorney to monitor and track their participation in essential behavior modification programs that teach parolees how to live lawfully and productively outside of incarceration and within their communities. Rice said that once these essential programs become a condition of their parole, defendants would have no choice but to participate in a positive re-entry process that will keep them from re-offending. "It's another layer of protection the community will have against recidivist offenders," Rice said.

"This is an example of the kind of thoughtful, long-term crime reduction strategy that will make our streets safer by attacking the recidivism rate among these defendants," Secretary Balboni said in response to the announcement of the re-entry initiative.

According to the New York State Division of Parole, 31 percent of parolees released after serving prison time on violent felony offenses violated the conditions of their parole within three years of being released from prison.

While Rice, Suozzi and Mulvey all agreed that Nassau County was one of the safest counties of its size in the country Suozzi said there was more work to be done.

"Even though we are fortunate to live in one of the safest counties in the nation we are not immune to gun violence," County Executive Suozzi said.