With 16 reported shooting incidents since April, the Utica Police Department is taking steps to curb the recent increase in violence.

Law enforcement officials say the uptick in gun crime could be related to age. In the past, the average violent offender in the city was aged 25-35, but now, the UPD is seeing offenders as young as 16.

Police believe the majority of the surge of gun violence is gang related, with only certain instances involving innocent bystanders. One prominent incident involving a bystander happened in May, when a sleeping 10-year-old girl was struck by a stray bullet that went through her home.

To combat the surge in violence, police are taking several new initiatives. These include putting different units on different patrols, creating a deterrence program, and working with the Mohawk Valley Crime Analysis Center to discover and target hotspots for crime in the city.

The deterrence program is run through the UPD’s GIVE unit. GIVE is a state initiative aimed at eliminating gun violence and provides funding to law enforcement agencies in 17 counties.

Police hope their new strategy will reduce violent crime in the city and will do so with limited disruption to the community.