City of Poughkeepsie (Winner)
County: Dutchess County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
City Hall: (607) 324-7421

The City of Poughkeepsie developed the Police Retention Program to address the problem of out-migration of city police officers to higher paying positions in other municipalities. By completing an in-depth analysis of the police department and working with the PBA, the City was able to restructure the salary, benefits and full-strength requirements of the collective bargaining agreement to reduce the number of officers who leave the department. The program will not only reduce the costs of training and overtime, but will allow the City to rebuild its Community Policing and School Resources Officer initiatives which have such a positive impact on quality-of-life.

Village of Manlius
County: Onondaga County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (315) 682-9171

The Village of Manlius underwent a difficult task with a simple goal; Prevention through Education. The Manlius Fire Department/EMS, in conjunction with the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, created a program to educate students, parents, and the community of the rising opioid epidemic within the community. Their goal was to educate the public on the severity of opioid usage, how to alert someone when they recognize someone using, and what to look for in someone who may be using opioids. One of the Village’s most effective tools was there use of open-dialogue between the speakers and public, rather than simply lecturing. Reports from the Fire Department of student responses indicate that the program was an overwhelming success in educating the student – the Department hoping this education will correlate to their next stage, seeking an overall decrease in opioid overdoses in the community.

Village of Freeport
County: Nassau County
Population: More than 50,000
Village Hall: (516) 377-2300

The Village of Freeport has successfully implemented their Adopt-a-Cop program for the last twenty-four years. The program centers on fourth-grade classrooms in the Freeport Public School District “adopting” a local police-officer from the Freeport PD. The sponsored police-officer visits the children initially in the beginning of the year, and follows up with monthly check-ins. The program was designed around fostering a positive sense of trust and security in the children by law enforcement. The program ends with an annual “Adopt-a-Cop Day” where the police-officers showcase what it is like to be a police-officer, demonstrating some of the department’s equipment like K-9, motorcycle officers, Air Bureau and more. The Police Department attributes the program as a hallmark of awareness, and positive public opinions of the Department. The Village encourages all municipalities to implement a similar program, as it is a proactive measure to reassure positive exchange between law enforcement and the public, while also effectively dispelling negative stereotypes.

City of Poughkeepsie (Winner)
County: Dutchess County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
City Hall: (845) 451-4200

The City of Poughkeepsie Transit System had been experiencing declining ridership for a number of years, requiring subsidies from the City’s general fund of between $300,000-$500,000 annually. The City also faced increasing difficulty maintaining compliance, which would eventually lead to a loss of critical funding. Dutchess County transit also operated bus routes which included areas of the City.

Village of  Freeport
County: Nassau County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
Village Hall: (516) 377-2300

The Village of Freeport implemented “Operation Safe Streets,” which includes quality of life meetings where any resident or business owner can visit the mayor’s office to speak with the mayor directly. The village also equipped all patrol police officers with body cameras, the first Police Department in the State to mandate the use of the equipment. And the village installed a fiber optic loop around the village’s perimeter and installed 27 fixed license plate readers (LPRs), which instantly alert all patrol police vehicles of certain criminal activity.

Village of  Fayetteville
County: Onondaga County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (315) 637-9864

The Fayetteville Deer Management Plan originated through requests from residents for a solution to the overpopulation of white-tailed deer in the Village of Fayetteville. Residents had been reaching out to the village regarding increased deer-vehicle collisions, personal property damage and more troubling an increase in Lyme disease.The mayor established a Deer Committee in September 2015 to determine the need for and the direction of a Deer Management Plan. The Deer Committee is made up of village trustees, village residents and other interested parties.

Village of East Syracuse (Winner)
County: Onondaga County
Population: Less than 5,000
Village Hall: (315) 437-3541

The Student Intern Bunk-In Program is a win-win for everybody. Since 1995, the program supports and assists in the coordination of a bunk-in program for fire service organizations throughout Onondaga County. Onondaga County Community College offers an associate degree program in Fire Protection Technology. Students enrolled in the fire protection program are eligible to apply for internships as bunk-ins with local host fire departments. Having started with six host fire departments, the program currently has 14 for both fire and EMS, including Moyers Corners, Liverpool, North Syracuse and DeWitt.

Village of East Syracuse (Winner)
County: Onondaga County
Population: Less than 10,000
Village Hall: (315) 437-3541

In 2009, the Village of East Syracuse was awarded a NYS Department of State Local Government Efficiency Grant to study a proposed police consolidation with the Town of DeWitt. Under that study, Fiscal Advisors found that the Police budget was 20% of the overall General Fund budget, yet over 37% of the Village taxes were attributable to the police. In October 2012, a proposal to abolish the Village of East Syracuse Police Department failed by a vote of 521 to 300.

City of Auburn (Winner)
County: Cayuga County
Population: 10,001 to 50,000
City Hall: (315) 255-4146

The City of Auburn faced several issues with its parking system: (1) paying for parking with coins was not convenient -- especially when the meters are covered in snow much of the winter; (2) the city had no data on how drivers really use parking which limited their ability to make better decisions for the city; and (3) the city needed a new way to increase revenues, lower costs, and have more revenue accountability. The City chose to introduce the Pango mobile payment parking system to make it easy for citizens to pay for parking either using their smart phone or calling a toll free number to start parking. As a result of this program, the City now has data on how the parking system is being used so better policy decisions can be made regarding rates, length of stay, and other important decisions.

City of Buffalo
County: Erie County
Population: 50,000 +
City Hall: (716) 851-5307

The City of Buffalo recognized the opportunity to leverage Big Data to pinpoint areas of greatest need, to then provide services via an interagency collaborative approach known as "Operation Clean Sweep." Operation Clean Sweep is an initiative designed to improve the quality of life of city residents and to make the best use of scarce resources to eliminate blight and crime.