Gov. Kathy Hochul says significant progress has been made in reducing gun violence and vehicle thefts in the city of Rochester.

Gov. Hochul was in the area on Wednesday for the annual Project Exile Community Report. The conference, held at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Henrietta, brought together local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to discuss the project's efforts in the last year.

According to the governor's office, Rochester has seen a 17% decrease in shootings in which a victim was injured and a 30% decrease in the number of victims killed by gun violence. Those figures were recorded between January 1 and October 22, 2023, and compared to the same period last year.

Vehicle thefts in Rochester have declined by 38% when comparing the thefts in June to those in August, according to the governor. June was the month with the most thefts reported in 2023, with August being the month with the second-fewest thefts.

During the conference, Hochul also urged people in Rochester and Finger Lake to attend software update clinics hosted by Hyundai in Rochester this month to further protect their vehicles. 

“As governor, my top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe,” Hochul said. “We have made record-level investments to address the scourge of gun violence affecting our communities, and we’ve launched a comprehensive strategy to combat the surge in car thefts seen across our state. We’re extremely proud of the progress we’ve made in Rochester, but we won’t rest until every New Yorker can live in the safe, peaceful community they deserve.” 

Project Exile started in Rochester more than 20 years ago as a collaborative effort to decrease the amount of illegal guns in the community.