Rochester police report January shootings, ATF warns of rising 'Glock switch' conversions

Rochester Police and federal agents told the Rock Against Gun Violence Coalition on Tuesday that gun violence and weapons trafficking remain active problems in the city.

Captain Murrah of the Rochester Police Department said the department recorded four homicides and "13 shootings with 14 victims" in January and that officers recovered 68 firearms during the month: 50 handguns, 15 long guns and three ghost guns. "We had 37 individuals charged with criminal possession of a weapon in Monroe County," Murrah said, and added that 11 of those were held without bail and 20 had cash bail set at $5,000 or less.

The presentation included demographic details Murrah said would be sent to coalition members by email. Murrah gave an age range for people charged in January from 16 to 55, with a concentration in the 20s and 30s; he said the median age of shooting victims was 27.

Agent Michael Curran of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) told the coalition the agency is investigating a sharp rise in machine‑gun conversion devices — commonly called "Glock switches" — that attach to pistols to produce fully automatic fire. "They're very dangerous," Curran said. "You can get 15, 20 rounds off in a second or two." He described recent cases in which sellers were sentenced and one regional seizure in which investigators recovered about 400 conversion devices, including a juvenile in possession.

Curran said conversion devices arrive in multiple ways: imported from abroad, posted on clandestine websites or produced locally on 3D printers. He described ongoing cooperation with postal inspectors, Customs and Border Protection, and local police and said ATF maintains an anonymous tip portal on its website.

RPD and ATF officials were asked about juvenile possession and agency coordination. Murrah said juveniles taken into custody are processed under the usual juvenile procedures and that outcomes depend on the judge and case circumstances. Curran said ATF and RPD task force officers review trace data and prioritize cases in which a juvenile's source of a firearm is unclear or involves trafficking.

The presentations prompted questions about federal policy and enforcement. Speakers noted federal law limits related to machine guns dating to 1986 and flagged recent federal attention to firearms rules; Curran said his office enforces current law and that judicial or legislative challenges are addressed in court or through the political process.

The coalition collected requests for additional local detail. Murrah said he would attempt to include injury‑severity information (for example, whether victims were temporarily or permanently disabled) in future monthly reports where possible without revealing identifying information.

The ATF encouraged community members to submit anonymous tips at www.atf.gov (select the firearms or tips link). Coalition members discussed whether ATF staff could participate in a forthcoming Brady gun‑trace meeting; officials said they would raise the invitation with their agencies.

The information was presented as part of regular monthly updates to the coalition; speakers emphasized ongoing multiagency cooperation rather than new policy actions at the meeting.