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Peekskill Launches Anonymous Illegal Gun Tip Line

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. – The City of Peekskill and the Peekskill Police Department are teaming up to keep illegal guns off of city streets.

Peekskill Councilman Darren Rigger talks about the City of Peekskill's new Operation Safe Streets program aimed at curbing the sale of illegal guns in the city. The city announced Wednesday a new tip line would be operational at 914-468-4GUN

Photo Credit: Nathan Bruttell
Peekskill Police Chief Eric Johansen talks about the city's new Operation Safe Streets illegal gun tip line at (914) 468-4GUN at a press conference Wednesday.

Peekskill Police Chief Eric Johansen talks about the city's new Operation Safe Streets illegal gun tip line at (914) 468-4GUN at a press conference Wednesday.

Photo Credit: Nathan Bruttell
Illegal firearms obtained through the Peekskill Police Department.

Illegal firearms obtained through the Peekskill Police Department.

Photo Credit: Nathan Bruttell

Councilman Darren Rigger, Mayor Mary Foster and the Peekskill Police Department announced a new initiative Wednesday aimed at eradicating illegal weapons called Operation Safe Streets. The program will allow residents to anonymously report illegal guns through a tip line at 914-468-4GUN and receive cash rewards if the illegal guns are recovered. In addition, the Peekskill Police Department is set to host a gun buy-back day later this year that will give residents cash for their unwanted weapons.

“In a post Newtown, Conn. world we live in, when communities want to make their cities and their streets safer, they cannot wait to get help ... and here in the city of Peekskill, we're ready to lead that fight,” Rigger said during Wednesday’s press conference. “So what we wanted to do is acknowledge that there are unwanted and illegal guns in the city and the faster we can get them off the streets, the safer we’ll be.”

Peekskill Police Chief Eric Johansen said he was enthusiastic about the idea and saluted Peekskill residents for donating more than $3,000 through city fundraisers. Those donations will be the backbone of the program’s funding.

“The citizens of Peekskill will not tolerate crime and illegal weapons,” Johansen said during the press conference. “They have partnered with us to take ownership in their community. We’ve been able to transform Peekskill into probably one of the safest cities in the state of New York."

While the department takes in between five and 12 illegal firearms each year, Johansen said he is optimistic the program will greatly increase those numbers. A majority of firearms obtained through the department are melted down once investigations have come to completion, Peekskill officers said. Johansen added that he’s confident residents will choose to take advantage of the tip line and buy-back day instead of allowing the weapons to circulate on city streets.

“Selling a gun on the street has its risks. It might have a little bit higher of an award, but there is a much higher risk,” Johansen said. “Our program is no risk and it has a reward. It’s completely anonymous through the tip line and it has a $500 reward with it.”

Mayor Foster agreed that the program could be very positive for the city.

"The police department has been working very hard to help the community. And (the Operation Safe Streets program) was enthusiastically embraced by our police department,” she said. “The community itself has also stepped up.”

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