Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,I,SAM,ROS-Mahopac) joined Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay and members of the Assembly Republican Conference today calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to convene a meeting of the state Domestic Terrorism Task Force (DTTF). In a letter to Hochul and the Commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice Services, Rossana Rosado, Republican members urged the division to immediately begin the task force’s first, now overdue, meeting. The letter from lawmakers comes after the terrible mass shootings in Buffalo which left 10 people dead and the incident in a Brooklyn subway station that left 10 wounded.
“This task force, formed over two years ago, is key to protecting public safety and combating domestic terrorism, yet it has failed to conduct a single meeting. New Yorkers deserve real solutions, and keeping this task force dormant is an insult to millions craving action,” said Byrne.
Established in 2020 as part of the final State Budget, the nine-member DTTF consists of the Commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice Services, the Superintendent of the State Police, three appointments of the governor and one appointment from each conference of the Legislature. The basic duties of the DTTF are to: study mass shooting incidents; recommend practices to identify mass shooters and prevent mass shooting incidents; and recommend practices to provide for the security of locations likely to be targeted by a mass shooter.
The task force is required to meet at least four times a year, and was supposed to issue a preliminary report in December 2021 outlining its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activities. To date, none of those requirements have been met.
(Please click here to view a copy of the letter)
The above information was previously distributed and made public for immediate release by the Office of Assemblyman Kevin Byrne