Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney And FBI Announce Charges Against Correction Officer In Rikers Island Assault

Officer Charged With Federal Civil Rights Violation and Filing False Reports

   Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of criminal charges against RODINY CALYPSO, a New York City Correction Officer, in the assault of an inmate at Rikers Island.  CALYPSO was charged with repeatedly punching and elbowing the inmate in the head and face without physical provocation while the inmate was handcuffed behind his back, in violation of his rights under the United States Constitution, and with filing a false report in order to cover up the incident.  CALYPSO was arrested this afternoon on charges contained in a criminal Complaint and is expected to be presented in federal court later today. 

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:  “Rodiny Calypso allegedly violated a Rikers Island inmate’s constitutional rights by viciously beating him – without physical provocation – while the inmate was restrained in handcuffs.  As we have said before, the protections of our Constitution extend to those in prisons, and this Office will remain vigilant about protecting the rights of all, including those confined within the walls of Rikers Island.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “Today, Rodiny Calypso, a New York City Correction Officer, is charged with subjecting an inmate to cruel, unnecessary, and inappropriate punishment—behavior that simply won’t be tolerated. The rules that apply to the appropriate use of force are specific and clear, and the vast majority of those within the law enforcement community are quick to adhere to them. Today’s charges not only defend the rights of all prisoners to be afforded proper treatment under the law, but also the reputation of those within the criminal justice system who uphold the rule of law; if you don’t, you’ll swiftly be removed from serving in any official capacity.”

According to the Complaint[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:

Rikers Island is a jail complex, located in the Bronx, New York, maintained by the New York City Department of Correction.  At the time of his assault, the inmate (“Inmate-1”) was housed in pretrial detention in the Otis Bantum Correctional Center (“OBCC”), a facility that houses, among other inmates, inmates in need of maximum security.  Inmate-1 was housed in Dorm 5 North, a dormitory area within the OBCC in which inmates were generally kept in solitary confinement in individual cells for 23 hours per day.  The shower facilities within Dorm 5 North were individual stalls, to be occupied by one inmate at a time, and to which inmates were brought handcuffed, then uncuffed through a port in the shower stall door, and then handcuffed again through the port before being brought out of the stalls by correction officers.

The Assault and Cover-Up

 

Shortly before noon on February 27, 2014, CALYPSO relieved another correction officer at 5 North while Inmate-1 was in the shower.  Inmate-1 and CALYPSO had an extended verbal exchange, during which CALYPSO picked up some personal items Inmate-1 had dropped outside of the door through the port.  At one point, CALYPSO stepped away from the door and spoke to a fellow correction officer one level down within the dorm area.  That person left the dorm area and returned with another officer (“Officer-1”), who looked up at the shower area.

CALYPSO rear-cuffed Inmate-1 for removal and briefly looked down in the direction of the other officer.  CALYPSO then opened the door to the shower stall and immediately punched Inmate-1 several times in the face.  He followed Inmate-1 into the shower area, where he put Inmate-1 into a headlock and punched him several more times in the head.  CALYPSO began to lose his footing at this point, and clung to Inmate-1’s side.  Officer-1 arrived in the stall at this point.  As Officer-1 restrained Inmate-1, CALYPSO regained his footing and elbowed Inmate-1 repeatedly – approximately five times – in the head.  As a result of the assault, Inmate-1 suffered lacerations to his face and the back of his head.  The entire assault was captured on surveillance video and witnessed by multiple inmates whose cells were positioned opposite the shower area.

The New York City Department of Correction issues directives governing the circumstances under which the use of force against inmates is appropriate.  Under these directives, force is to be used as a last resort, when an inmate in restraints is still dangerous to himself and others.  Among other things, the directives prohibit:  the use of more force than is necessary to restrain an inmate, control a situation, or protect oneself or others; the use of force out of proportion to the threat posed by an inmate at the time; the use of blows where a control hold, grasping, or pushing would suffice to restrain the inmate; the direction of blows to the head if the use of such blows is otherwise avoidable; and multiple strikes, punches, or kicks where a single blow would be sufficient to stop an inmate’s attack. 

After the assault, CALYPSO filled out a “Use of Force Report” form on which he was supposed to report the circumstances of that assault.  In that Use of Force Report, CALYPSO attempted to justify his conduct by falsely stating that Inmate-1 had spit on him and attempted to spit on him again.  He also mischaracterized and misstated portions of the assault, omitting the punches he delivered while holding Inmate-1 in a headlock and claiming that he had hit CALYPSO in the “upper torso” area.

RODINY CALYPSO, 38, of Springfield Gardens, New York, is charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and one count of filing false forms, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  CALYPSO faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the FBI.  Mr. Kim also thanked the New York City Department of Investigation, the New York City Department of Correction, Investigative Division, and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation, which remains ongoing.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights and Public Corruption Units.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara M. La Morte and Martin S. Bell are in charge of the prosecution.  

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

A.G. Schneiderman Announces Record Number Of Data Breach Notices For 2016

Hacking Drives Data Breaches Up By 60%, Exposing Info Of 1.6 Million New Yorkers

Schneiderman: It’s On Businesses And Citizens Alike To Protect Against Dangerous Data Exposures That Undermine NY'ers Financial Health And Cost Billions

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that his office received a record number of data breach notices in 2016. The close to 1,300 reported data breaches in 2016 represented a 60 percent increase over the previous year; these breaches exposed the personal records of 1.6 million New Yorkers in 2016, representing a threefold increase over the prior year. Analysis conducted by the Attorney General's office revealed that the exposed information consisted overwhelmingly of social security numbers and financial account information and surmised that hacking and inadvertent disclosure were the two leading causes of data security breaches. 

“In 2016, New Yorkers were the victims of one of the highest data exposure rates in our state’s history,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “The total annual number of reported security breaches increased by 60% and the number of exposed personal records tripled. Hacking is increasingly prevalent – making it all the more important for companies and citizens alike to take precaution when sharing and storing personal data. It’s on all of us to guard against those who try to use our personal information for harm – as these breaches too often jeopardize the financial health of New Yorkers and cost the public and private sectors billions of dollars.”

The Attorney General’s office first began collecting information regarding exposure of personal data in 2005, after § 899-aa was added to New York State Business Law requiring businesses to report all security breaches of their computerized data systems containing private consumer information to the OAG in a timely manner. The research included today builds on the NYAG’s 2014 report titled "Information Exposed: Historical Examination of Data Security in New York State,” which analyzed eight years of security breach data and how it impacted New Yorkers.

Hacking & Negligence Continue as Main Causes of Data Breaches

In 2016, hacking accounted for more than 40% of data security breaches.  519 notices reported unauthorized outside access of computerized data (see Figures 1 and 2).  In the OAG’s 2014 report, hacking similarly represented the leading cause of all data breaches from 2006 to 2013.  This past year however, employee negligence, which consists of a combination of inadvertent exposure of records, insider wrongdoing, and the loss of a device or media, nearly tied hacking by accounting for approximately 37% of breaches.  

Figure 1: Data Security Breach Cause (Chart)

Figure 2: Data Security Breach Cause (Table)

Social Security and Financial Information as Primary Targets

The most frequently acquired information in 2016 was Social Security numbers and financial account information, which together accounted for 81% of breaches in New York. Other records such as driver’s license numbers (8%), date of birth (7%) and password/account information (2%) (see Figure 4) together accounted for 1,284,037 of exposed personal records in 2016. 

Figure 3: Type of Information Acquired (Chart) 

Figure 4: Type of Information Acquired (Table)

Mega-Breaches in 2016

While 2016 saw a 59% increase in the total number of reported breaches, only two mega-breaches figured among them. Comparatively, 28 mega-breaches were reported to the OAG between 2006 and 2013.  On October 12, 2016, Newkirk Products, Inc., a business associate of Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, Inc., CDPHP Universal Benefits, Inc., and Capital District Physicians’ Healthcare Network, Inc., reported exposing the personal health information of 761,782 New Yorkers.  The next largest breach, reported on January 13, 2016, was at HSBC bank.  It exposed the financial, personal, and social security information of 251,201 New Yorkers.  Additionally, breaches at Eddie Bauer and Emblem Health reportedly affected 60,205 and 55,664 New Yorkers in August and November, respectively.  These breaches, not surprisingly, had a substantial impact on the total number of New York residents affected during those months (See Figure 5).  The number of New Yorkers affected steadily declined in the months that followed.

Figure 5: Total Affected and Total NY Residents Affected by 2016 Reported Breaches (Table) 

Figure 6: Total NY Residents by 2016 Reported Breaches (Graph)

Average Delays in Notification Remain Constant Throughout 2016

As part of New York General Business Law Section § 899-aa, entities that experience a breach must notify the OAG, among other entities, and the individuals immediately affected, without unreasonable delay.  Entities that suffered a breach exhibited the greatest delay in notification in March.  While the difference in shortest and longest amount of time for entities to notify the OAG and consumers is extreme, between one day and several months, the average delays decreased throughout the year. 

All Organizations are at Risk

No organization is exempt from the risk of a data breach. Data exposure can occur at small family businesses, government agencies, and large multinational corporations.

The Attorney General’s Office recommends that organizations follow these simple steps to help protect sensitive personal information against unauthorized disclosures. 

• Understand Where Your Business Stands:  The first step toward an effective data security policy is to understand what information your business requires for its operation, what data have already been collected and stored, how long the data are needed and what steps have been taken to ensure security. Organizations should review how sensitive data are acquired, how sensitive information is being shared with third parties, and what access controls are in place. 
• Identify and Minimize Data Collection Practices:  Put simply, data that do not exist cannot be stolen or lost. Collect only information that you need, store it only for the minimum time that you need it, and deploy data minimization tactics wherever possible. For example, if your company uses a point-of-sale system, ensure that expiration dates are not stored with credit card numbers. Reduce the use of highly sensitive data points, such as Social Security numbers, unless absolutely necessary, and minimize the length of retention for such data.  Delete any information you no longer need.
• Create an Information Security Plan That Includes Encryption:  Creating a comprehensive Information Security Plan is a complex but necessary endeavor. Studies show that entities with an effective plan will articulate not only technical standards, but will incorporate training, awareness, and detailed procedural steps in the event of data breaches. Read more about what a comprehensive security plan should include in the report. 
• Implement an Information Security Plan:  Successful implementation of a thoughtfully designed plan can be one of the most effective ways to minimize the risk of a data breach. Elements to consider when implementing a plan include ensuring employees are aware of the plan and conducting regular reviews to ensure the plan continues to conform with evolving best practices.
• Take Immediate Action in the Event of a Breach:  Remember to investigate all security incidents immediately and thoroughly. In the event of a breach, the law may require you to notify consumers, law enforcement, state Attorney Generals’ offices, credit bureaus and other businesses. 
• Offer Mitigation Products in the Event of a Breach:  While not required by law, New Yorkers affected by a data breach should be provided with mitigation services for free. These include credit monitoring, which provides alerts, usually by email, whenever an application for new credit is submitted to a consumer credit reporting agency, and a security freeze, which blocks new credit accounts. The cost of clearing up the consequences of identity theft can easily reach into the thousands of dollars and require hundreds of hours attending to administrative burdens.  

The Attorney General’s Office suggests that consumers guard against threats in the following ways:

• Create Strong Passwords for Online Accounts and Update Them Frequently. Use different passwords for different accounts, especially for websites where you have disseminated sensitive information, such as credit card or Social Security numbers. 
• Carefully Monitor Credit Card and Debit Card Statements Each Month.  If you find any abnormal transactions, contact your bank or credit card agency immediately. 
• Do Not Write Down or Store Passwords Electronically. If you do, be extremely careful of where you store passwords. Be aware that any passwords stored electronically (such as in a word processing document or cell phone’s notepad) can be easily stolen and provide fraudsters with one-stop shopping for all your sensitive information. If you hand-write passwords, do not store them in plain sight. 
• Do Not Post Any Sensitive Information on Social Media.  Information such as birthdays, addresses, and phone numbers can be used by fraudsters to authenticate account information. Practice data minimization techniques. Don’t overshare.
• Always Be Aware of the Current Threat Landscape. Stay up to date on media reports of data security breaches and consumer advisories.  

The Attorney General’s Office recommends taking the following steps if you believe you have been victimized by a data security breach: 

• User Names and Passwords:  For user names and passwords, change them immediately on the relevant account and monitor the account for unusual activity. If you use the same user name or password on other accounts, change those as well.  
• Credit Card Numbers:  For breaches involving credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and other sensitive numbers, create an Identity Theft Report by filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and printing your Identity Theft Affidavit. You can call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-438-4338 or complete the form online here. Use the Identity Theft Affidavit to file a police report and create your Identity Theft Report. An Identity Theft Report will help you deal with credit reporting companies, debt collectors and any fraudulent accounts that the identity thief opened in your name.  You may also want to put a fraud alert and/or security freeze on your credit report by notifying each of the credit reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian).  A security freeze remains on your credit file until you remove it or choose to lift it temporarily when applying for credit services. 

Contact information for the credit reporting agencies: 

Equifax 1-800-525-6285 

Experian 1-888-397-3742 

TransUnion 1-800-680-7289

As NYC’s Senior Population Surges, Comptroller Stringer Releases New Report and Calls for Strategic City Planning

   With the number of NYC seniors skyrocketing, new report lays out comprehensive proposals to support the growing population

City faces an imbalance between where New Yorkers are aging and where programs and services – like senior centers – are located

Analysis highlights the need for holistic, agency-by-agency approach

  Today, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer called on the City to launch an agency-by-agency, neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach to serving its seniors. Unveiling a new a report – entitled “Aging with Dignity: A Blueprint for Serving NYC’s Growing Senior Population” – the Comptroller highlighted current challenges and the need for additional support for New York City’s senior population now and in the future. While calling for the city to perform long-term, comprehensive planning, the blueprint lays out specific proposals that will be necessary to better serve New Yorkers aged 65 and older.

“We need to act today – not tomorrow. Seniors are the anchors of our communities, and we must ensure they have the support they deserve. We need to have an all-hands-on-deck approach, from every City agency, because this is too important. As we face significant demographic changes, we need to reimagine how we support our current and future seniors,” New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said.  “We hope these specific ideas and this blueprint will jumpstart a long-term conversation in the City — and help develop a long-term strategy — about how to deliver for New Yorkers for decades to come. Our approach should help more New Yorkers stay in their homes and age in place — it’s cheaper, it’s smarter, it allows New Yorkers to remain involved in their communities. Most importantly, it’s the right thing to do, and now is the time to act.”

Currently, New York City’s seniors face affordability, transit, housing and other obstacles. As the City’s population ages, so too does the urgency for holistic planning:

A Rising Population

• From 2005 to 2015, the number of New Yorkers over 65 years old surged by 19.2 percent. That is more than triple the rate of growth for the population under age 65.

• The number of New Yorkers aged 65 and older has grown in each borough over the last ten years, with the population growing fastest in Staten Island and the Bronx.

• By 2040, city planners expect there will be 1.4 million older adults living in New York City – an increase of hundreds of thousands of people from today.

• Yet, currently, the Department for the Aging’s budget is just 0.4 percent of total City expenditures – equivalent to about $300 per New Yorker over the age of 65.

• That’s while New York City senior centers—visited by over 29,680 seniors daily—served over 160,000 New Yorkers in FY16.

Affordability

• Over 40 percent of senior-headed households depend on government programs for more than half their income, with Social Security benefits comprising more than half of incomes for 397,000 senior-headed households.

• Six out of 10 senior renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent – a significantly higher percentage than the general population.

Accessibility and Transit

• More than 35 percent of seniors in NYC are living with a disability that can impair their mobility. Yet, data show that 61 percent of residential units in NYC do not have a wheelchair accessible entrance and 68 percent of housing units are not accessible from the sidewalk without the use of stairs.

• Adults over 65 – despite being 13 percent of the City’s population – made up 39 percent of all pedestrian fatalities in 2014.

• As the NYC population ages, the MTA expects Access-A-Ride usage to double to more than 14 million trips for New Yorkers by 2022, up from six million trips in 2015. Yet, a Comptroller’s Office audit showed that Access-A-Ride vehicles failed to show up for a scheduled trip more than 31,000 times in 2015.
• Certain neighborhoods across the city have large numbers of seniors, but relatively few senior centers or amenities like bus shelter or accessible subway stops – a challenge that must be addressed since it deprives seniors of services and because New York City will undergo further demographic changes.

• Though the City has 24,798 bus stops, only about one quarter have bus shelters, which are critical for seniors to travel. And despite its stated purpose, the City Bench program is not serving neighborhoods with a large number of seniors. Further, the community districts with the highest numbers of seniors generally have the fewest number of City bus benches.

Despite widespread documentation of these challenges, the City is not engaged in a comprehensive planning process for it seniors. As such, today, the Comptroller called for a cohesive, long-term planning process from the City in order to streamline services and develop a holistic strategy. Serving seniors should not be the job of the Department for the Aging alone. Almost all City agencies serve seniors, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Transportation, Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Finance and others that offer direct services to seniors should be engaged in a robust, coordinated planning process.

To plan for the City’s demographic changes, the Comptroller’s report emphasizes the importance of keeping seniors in their homes and communities, a policy known as “aging in place.” Aging in place – rather than in nursing homes or institutional settings – is not only the preference of the vast majority of older New Yorkers, but research has demonstrated that it can be five times more cost-effective in serving the City’s swelling senior population.

This report offers a specific “aging in place agenda” for New York City based on three broad goals with specific proposals:

Creating Safe, Healthy, Affordable Housing Options

• Freezing rents by automatically enrolling New Yorkers in the Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption: Additional senior renters can more easily remain in their apartments if they are automatically enrolled in the Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program, which freezes their rent. This change would add an estimated 26,000 seniors to the program.

• Mitigating affordability challenges by expanding tax credits through the Senior Citizens Homeowners’ Exemption:To support seniors who own their homes, the City should expand eligibility for the Senior Citizens Homeowners’ Exemption to cover those with incomes up to $50,000. That would make approximately 29,000 more homeowners eligible for the program and mitigate affordability challenges.

• Transforming age-friendly home improvements: The City should establish a program that helps seniors make their homes age-friendly through enhanced requirements on landlords, or new tax credits for homeowners, that finance modifications like widened doors, grab bars in bathrooms, and no-slip surfaces, as other cities already have.

Developing More Liveable Communities

• Creating tailored, neighborhood action plans by expanding the Age-Friendly Neighborhoods program: In 2010, the City launched the “Age-Friendly Neighborhoods” program, which created neighborhood action plans for over a dozen neighborhoods to better support seniors. To do long-term planning, that program should be expanded significantly so communities can pinpoint their needs in a local way.

• Eliminating senior center deserts by strengthening investments: Senior centers are not consistently located in places with a large number of seniors, which may be preventing seniors in certain neighborhoods from benefitting from services. Currently, certain neighborhoods– like Bensenhurst, Bayside, Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Tottenville, and others – with large number of seniors have relatively few options. Studies show that seniors who do not utilize senior centers cite inconvenient locations as one of the top five reasons they do not attend. Additional funding and modernization of our senior centers is necessary to not only eliminate senior center deserts, but also to prepare for an aging population.

• Significantly increasing bus shelters and benches, and bolstering the Safe Streets for Seniors program:Just one fourth of all bus stops have shelters, and fourteen of the 20 community districts with the largest number of seniors have among the lowest ratio of benches per 10,000 seniors. The ability to travel is central to supporting older New Yorkers as they age in place, and sometimes a bus shelter or bench can be the deciding factor for seniors’ ability to travel. The City and State can improve accessibility to public transportation by adding more bus shelters, benches, elevators, and escalators.

Supporting the Well-Being of Older New Yorkers

• Invest in citywide programs that support seniors’ health, well-being, and independence: The City can increase the number of Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs), enhance support for caregivers, and provide additional resources for DFTA’s homecare and case management programs. In addition, through agency planning, the City can encourage more seniors to take advantage of Medicare’s free annual wellness screening, improve Social Security’s annual cost of living adjustment, and match the federal retirement savings tax credit with local funds.

To read the full report, click here.

BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR RAPE, MURDER OF NEIGHBOR IN 1999

Defendant’s DNA Was Taken In 2016 Arrest And Matched To Evidence on Victim 

   Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted on murder and rape charges for the 1999 killing of his neighbor. 

   District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly stabbed the victim repeatedly and raped her in her apartment, in the same building in which he lived. After two decades he was finally brought to justice when his DNA was taken after a minor arrest and it matched evidence from the crime scene. Victims of such atrocious crimes will never be forgotten, no matter how long it takes to get the perpetrator.” 

   District Attorney Clark said that Curtis Batchelor, 41, of the Bronx, was charged with first-degree Murder, two counts of second-degree Murder, and first-degree Rape. He was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice William Mogulescu and is due back in court on April 13, 2017.

   According to the investigation, on or about and between May 25, 1999 and May 27, 1999, in 825 Gerard Avenue, Batchelor stabbed Elsa Grullon multiple times in the neck and chest, in the course of raping her. 

  Batchelor was arrested in January, 2016, and his DNA was taken. In March, 2016, the DNA was found to match semen recovered from the victim’s body. Further investigation led to the arrest of Batchelor on Feb. 27, 2017. 

   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Michael Schordine and Morgan Dolan, under the supervision of Christine Scaccia, Chief of the Homicide Bureau, and the overall supervision of Nicole Keary, Deputy Chief of the Trial Division and Jeremy Shockett, Chief of the Trial Division.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt. 

City must notify residents of homeless shelters in advance: Senator Klein

Proposal to create real community notification & hearing process moves forward in NYS budget talks

Residents in The Bronx have been outraged when a homeless hotel, motel or shelter opens without notice.

But under a proposal advancing in the New York State budget, pushed by Senator Jeff Klein, and his colleagues in the Independent Democratic Conference, the City would be required to give elected officials, community groups and residents ample time to provide insight on shelter siting.

“The Bronx has been a dumping ground for shelters due to a lack of foresight and planning for the city’s homeless population. Residents here are simply fed up by the lack of notification, hearings and planning. This lack of transparency needs to end. Communities deserve notification and to have a say in what’s happening in the neighborhoods they care about,” said Senator Klein.

Under the IDC proposal advancing in this year’s budget, communities would have a greater amount of input on the placement of shelters within their communities than they would under the plan announced by the Mayor’s Office. Rather than community notification 30 days prior to the opening of a permanent shelter, the proposal gives communities notice 45 days before the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services hearings. The legislation would also empower local community boards to request public hearings on a shelter. DHS would be required to modify its proposal based on reasonable concerns from such hearings.

For temporary shelters the proposal requires notification one week from the city’s use of the hotel as a shelter, and requires DHS perform inspections to ensure sites are safe and free of violations. They must also maintain a publicly available list of these sites. The legislation also requires a quarterly report from DHS on the use and proposed use of these sites to be submitted to local elected officials. Because many times hotels are used for weather related emergencies, the legislation allows for 48 hour post placement notification in the event of an emergency situation.

The IDC is also advocating for the inclusion of the Home Stability Support program in the budget. This comprehensive initiative would provide a statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are facing eviction, are currently homeless or who have lost housing due to domestic violence and/or hazardous conditions.

In January, Senator Klein and the Independent Democratic Conference released an investigative report, “Horrors in Homeless Housing,” detailing the conditions inside the hotels and cluster sites used for homeless housing. The city announced a five year phase out of these sites and a proposal to open 90 additional permanent shelters soon after.

The report listed the top ten worst offenders in both categories, with sites that had violations for issues such as rodent and roach infestations, mold, lead paint, unlawful cooking areas and failure to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

MAYOR DE BLASIO KICKS OFF CONSTRUCTION ON MAJOR STREET REDESIGNS AS WARM WEATHER BEGINS

$1.6 billion effort underway to add crosswalks, medians, turn-bays and bike lanes that lower risk of collisions

Roadway fatalities down: 2017 shows 20% drop from 1st quarter of last year

   Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that with the arrival of spring and warmer weather, the City is beginning work on dozens of Vision Zero street redesign and construction safety projects as part of a $1.6 billion safety initiative. New Yorkers will see new crosswalks, wider sidewalks, pedestrian refuge medians and new protected bicycle lanes in every borough. The Mayor joined agency commissioners to inspect improvements underway at the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge at Tillary Street, an area where 482 people have been injured, 23 of them seriously and one person killed over the last five years. One of the biggest overhauls this season, the project includes a wide new promenade for cyclists and pedestrians using the bridge, new crosswalks, trees and medians.

“Dangerous streets have to change,” said Mayor de Blasio.  “We want to get the word out: we’re moving lanes, adding new space for pedestrians and making it safer to cross intersections—all to keep your family safe. These changes have helped make each of the last three years under Vision Zero safer than the last.”

Spring brings more than just new road engineering. Thanks to a Vision Zero education and enforcement campaign targeting the darker wintertime evening rush hour, the first quarter of 2017 has so far seen a 20 percent drop in fatalities, or 8 fewer lives lost, compared to the 48 lost in 2016. To continue that progress, the NYPD has augmented failure to yield and speeding enforcement in the early morning hours, which are the most dangerous during the spring.

Enforcement against the most dangerous driving behaviors that put pedestrians and cyclists at risk is up on the year. As of March 20th, NYPD speeding enforcement is up 17 percent year-to-date, and up 67 percent from 2014. Failure to yield enforcement up 29 percent year-to-date, and up 104 percent from 2014.

A citywide Pedestrian Safety initiative was recently conducted from Monday, March 6, 2017 through Sunday March 12, 2017. During that time, 1,915 Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian summonses were issued (an increase of 121% from the same period last year) and 12,088 other Vision Zero summonses were issued. A total of 17,416 summonses were issued for the initiative.

NYPD has a Speed Enforcement initiative currently underway. It began Monday, March 20th and concludes March 26th. NYPD is in the process of planning two more for April along with other regularly scheduled enforcement blitzes throughout the year.

Mayor de Blasio warned that the steady progress under Vision Zero would be undercut by cuts in  transportation programs in President Trump’s proposed budget announced last week.  The budget would completely eliminate important discretionary funding programs like TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) that would reduce funding for future capital projects like Adams-Tillary.

Since 2014, DOT has committed $98.8 million in Federal funds for over 30 Vision Zero capital projects, including  $7 million in Federal Highway formula funds for the Brooklyn Bridge entrance capital project, $35 million in TIGER funding for the redesign at Fordham Plaza at the Bronx and various other Vision Zero safety improvements.  In addition, NYCDOT’s four-year capital plan (FY17-20) includes over $200 million in Federal funding for dozens of additional Vision Zero capital projects.  Mayor de Blasio and DOT Commissioner Trottenberg—the former federal Undersecretary of Transportation—pledged a bipartisan effort with other major cities to push back on the President’s cuts.

Highlights of this year's safety projects (with anticipated season when construction is expected to begin):

Brooklyn

•   Tillary Street Entrance to Brooklyn Bridge, Downtown  - widening of pedestrian-bike entrance leading to historic bridge promenade; added enhanced crosswalks; addition of berm, over 50 new trees, and other amenities. (In progress, expected completion in summer)

•   4th Avenue, limits to be determined, multiple neighborhoods (pending community review) - Installation of parking-protected bike lanes and painted pedestrian refuge islands in advance of Vision Zero Great Streets capital project, including elevated medians, larger pedestrian refuge islands, and additional trees, greenery and art installations. (Implementation date TBD)

•   Flatbush Ave and Belt Parkway Exit Ramps, Marine Park: Project will upgrade bike and pedestrian crossings over the belt parkway exit/entrance ramps, among several projects planned along Flatbush Avenue this year.  Expands on improvements to Jamaica Bay Greenway made in 2016 at Ave V and Hendrickson. (Spring)

•   South 4th St, Borinquen Pl, and South 5th St, Williamsburg: Improved bike and pedestrian access to Williamsburg Bridge in advance of L train closure. Protected bike network mileage, ongoing effort to improve cyclist connections. (Summer)

Bronx

•   138th St, Major Deegan to 3rd Ave, Mott Haven: Improved bike and pedestrian access to Madison Avenue Bridge. Major pedestrian improvements including new signalized crossings plus protected bike network mileage. (Summer)

•   Boston Rd, Waring Ave to Pelham Pkwy North, Allerton: Two new signals will provide improved access for pedestrians and widened sidewalks will provide shorter, safer crossings. New traffic patterns will clarify and simplify traffic movements. (Summer)

•   East Fordham Rd, Washington Ave to Southern Blvd, Fordham: Corridor safety improvements.  (Summer)

Queens

•   Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards, multiple neighborhoods:  Addition of Select Bus Service for Q52 and Q53 routes; numerous pedestrian and corridor safety improvements (Spring)

•   Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica: Major Vision Zero pedestrian and school safety project with new pedestrianislands (Spring)

•   23rd Ave and Corporal Kennedy Blvd, Bay Terrace -- Complex intersection redesign that will create simpler, safer pedestrian crossings and clearer vehicle traffic patterns. (Spring)

Manhattan

•   5th Avenue, 23rd to Washington Sq Park, Flatiron & Greenwich Village: Protected bike lanes (Spring)

•   Broadway, West 155th to West 170th St, Hamilton Heights & Washington Heights: Traffic calming project based on the recommendations from the Washington Heights Transportation Study. Improvements include new pedestrian space, shorter safer crossings, new markings to clarify vehicle movements, and signal timing changes to improve traffic flow. (Spring)

•   Centre St, Park Row, Lower Manhattan: Smaller sister project to Tillary-Adams improving bike and pedestrian connections to Brooklyn Bridge, including a new 2-way protected bike lane in front of City Hall (Spring)

Staten Island

•   Greeley Ave, Midland Park: New York City's first-ever neighborhood traffic circles will be added to increase safety and deter speeding in a residential neighborhood (Spring)

•   Van Duzer St, Targee St, and St. Pauls Ave, Stapleton: Approximately 5 miles of bicycle lanes to link together the neighborhoods of Tompkinsville, Stapleton, Concord and Park Hill on Staten Island.  In addition to creating a bicycle link to the ferry, the project will calm traffic, add parking, and create safe pedestrian crossings near schools. (Spring)

•   Staten Island Ferry Improvements, St. George: Improves biking connections to the ferry. (Summer)

"Thanks to planners, designers, engineers and construction crews, DOT is looking forward to another banner year of street redesigns," said Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.  " While traffic fatalities are increasing nationally, Nw York City is bucking those trends, with the last three years under Vision Zero the safest in our City's history. Under the leadership of the Mayor and with the hard work of our sister agencies, we will together continue to make progress."

“As we start 2017, the City continues to experience decreases in both crime and traffic fatalities,” said NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “We welcome the early signs of success, yet we remain focused on both.”

About Vision Zero

In January 2017, after three successive years of declines in traffic fatalities, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced New York City would make an additional $400 million investment in Vision Zero – for a total of $1.6 billion over the next five years. DOT is implementing its most aggressive street redesign safety program, an increased investment in street redesign and traffic-calming measures citywide. Other Vision Zero changes announced by the Mayor include ensuring NYPD crossing guards at every post, faster replacement of street markings, intersection upgrades in the bike-lane network, more left-turn calming efforts, brighter lighting and more equipment at each police precinct to catch speeding.

For more information about the de Blasio Administration’s Vision Zero initiative, please seewww.nyc.gov/visionzero