New York Violent Death Reporting System

Together, We Can Save a Life!

Each year, there are over 2,700 violent deaths in New York State. These include:

  • Homicides
  • Suicides
  • Unintentional firearm injury deaths
  • Legal intervention deaths (when individuals are killed by law enforcement in the line of duty)
  • Terrorism-related deaths

In order to better understand the circumstances of these violent deaths, the New York Violent Death Reporting System will gather into one centralized database:

  • Vital records data,
  • Law enforcement records, and
  • Coroner/medical examiner reports

New York was recently funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to collect information on violent deaths occurring in New York State. The purpose of this funding is to improve the planning, implementation and evaluation of violence prevention programs and develop strategies to save lives.

With a clearer picture of why violent deaths occur, we can work together more effectively to identify those at risk and provide preventive services.

To prevent violent deaths, we must understand the facts.

Advisory Board

The success of the program will rely upon the collaboration and communication among our key partners. These partners advise on implementation of the New York Violent Death Reporting System, as well as dissemination of the data.

Our first Advisory Board meeting was held in September 2015.

Contact Information

New York State Department of Health
Bureau of Occupational Health and Injury Prevention
Empire State Plaza-Corning Tower, Room 1336
Albany, New York 12237

Michael Bauer, MS, Principal Investigator
Leah Hines, MPH, Project Manager

Email: NVDRS@health.ny.gov

Putting Data to Use

There are two major goals of New York State Violent Death Reporting System--data collection and prevention. By achieving these goals, we can:

  • Share violence prevention information with our partners and the public.
  • Assist government and policymakers in understanding the extent of violent deaths.
  • Educate the public on violent deaths and develop public health interventions.
  • Generate public health surveillance information that is detailed, useful and timely.
  • Develop, inform, and evaluate violence prevention strategies.