DEC ADVISES BACKCOUNTRY VISITORS OF WINTER CONDITIONS IN THE ADIRONDACKS AND CATSKILLS

 

Winter Recreational Opportunities Available with Proper Preparation and Precautions

 The early snow and cold weather are providing good conditions for winter outdoor recreation in the Adirondacks, Catskills, and other backcountry areas, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today. Visitors should be prepared with proper clothing and equipment for snow, ice, and cold to ensure a safe and enjoyable winter experience.

 

"With people still looking for outdoor activities during the pandemic, now is a great time to take advantage of all the winter recreation opportunities New York has to offer," Commissioner Seggos said. "However, winter conditions can also be dangerous if you’re not prepared. Visitors exploring the backcountry should dress for the cold and use snowshoes and skis to navigate trails where appropriate."   

 

Snow depths range greatly in the central and northeastern Adirondacks, with the deepest snows in the higher elevations like the High Peaks region and other mountains over 3,000 feet. Snow depths are thinner in the southeastern and northwestern Adirondacks. Much of the Catskill Mountains are covered in snow, with icy trail conditions. 

 

DEC recommends visitors to the backcountry carry snowshoes and trekking poles and use them when snow depths warrant. Snowshoes or skis ease travel on snow and prevent "post holing," which can ruin trails and cause sudden falls resulting in injuries. Crampons or other traction devices should be carried for use on icy portions of the trails including summits and other exposed areas.  An ice axe may be necessary above tree line in the High Peaks. Forest Rangers strongly advise that current trail conditions will make travel without properly fitting traction devices extremely difficult. Check out DEC’s website for further details on traction devices.   

 

Some seasonal access roads remain road open, however, with the potential for lake effect snow, the use of four-wheel drive vehicles is strongly recommended. Some seasonal access roads transitioned to snowmobile use once Northern Zone big game hunting season concluded. Check local club, county, and state webpages and resources, including the NYSSA Snowmobile Webmap, for up-to-date snowmobile trail information.   

 

Ice has begun forming on ponds, bays of lakes, slow moving streams, and backwaters of rivers. No ice is safe at this time. Although ice may have snow on the surface, it is not thick enough to hold the weight of a person. Ice will remain unsafe until temperatures fall below freezing for a significant continuous period.  

In addition, backcountry visitors should follow these safety guidelines:   

• Check weather before entering the woods - if the weather is poor, postpone your trip.   
• Be aware of weather conditions at all times - if the weather worsens, head out of the woods.   
• Dress properly with layers of clothing of wool, fleece, and other materials that wick moisture (not cotton): a wool or fleece hat, gloves or mittens, wind/rain resistant outer wear, and winter boots.   
• Carry a day pack with the following contents: Ice axe, plenty of food and water, extra clothing, map and compass, first-aid kit, flashlight/headlamp, sun glasses, sunblock protection, ensolite pads, stove and extra fuel, and bivy sack or space blankets.   
• Carry plenty of food and water. Eat, drink and rest often. Being tired, hungry or dehydrated makes you more susceptible to hypothermia.   
• Know the terrain and your physical capabilities - it takes more time and energy to travel through snow.   
• Never travel alone and always inform someone of your intended route and return time.  

Traveling through snow takes more energy and time than hiking the same distance, especially in freshly fallen snow. Plan trips accordingly. In an Emergency call 911. To request Forest Ranger assistance, call 518-408-5850, or in the Adirondacks, call 518-891-0235.  

 

DEC’s Adirondack Backcountry Information and Catskill Backcountry Information websites provide current trail conditions and other important information to help ensure a safe and enjoyable backcountry winter experience. 

  

While enjoying outdoor spaces, please continue to PLAY SMART * PLAY SAFE * PLAY LOCAL and follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)/DOH guidelines for preventing the spread of colds, flu, and COVID-19.  

Ticketmaster Pays $10 Million Criminal Fine for Intrusions into Competitor’s Computer Systems

 

Ticketmaster Used Passwords Unlawfully Retained by a Former Employee of a Competitor to Access Computer Systems in Scheme to “Choke Off” the Victim’s Business

 Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, Ticketmaster L.L.C. (Ticketmaster or the Company) agreed to pay a $10 million fine to resolve charges that it repeatedly accessed without authorization the computer systems of a competitor.  The fine is part of a deferred prosecution agreement that Ticketmaster has entered with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York to resolve a five-count criminal information filed today charging computer intrusion and fraud offenses.  Previously, on October 18, 2019, Zeeshan Zaidi, the former head of Ticketmaster’s Artist Services division, pled guilty in a related case to conspiring to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud based on his participation in the same scheme.  Both cases are assigned to U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie.

Seth D. DuCharme, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office, made the announcement.

“Ticketmaster employees repeatedly – and illegally – accessed a competitor’s computers without authorization using stolen passwords to unlawfully collect business intelligence,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney DuCharme.  “Further, Ticketmaster’s employees brazenly held a division-wide ‘summit’ at which the stolen passwords were used to access the victim company’s computers, as if that were an appropriate business tactic.  Today’s resolution demonstrates that any company that obtains a competitor’s confidential information for commercial advantage, without authority or permission, should expect to be held accountable in federal court.”

"When employees walk out of one company and into another, it's illegal for them to take proprietary information with them. Ticketmaster used stolen information to gain an advantage over its competition, and then promoted the employees who broke the law. This investigation is a perfect example of why these laws exist - to protect consumers from being cheated in what should be a fair market place,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.

The Scheme to “Choke Off” the Victim Company

According to Ticketmaster’s admissions and publicly filed court documents, Ticketmaster, a wholly owned subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (Live Nation), was primarily engaged in the business of selling and distributing tickets to events and concerts.  The victim company offered artists the ability to sell presale tickets – sold in advance of general ticket sales – on an online ticketing platform.  It also offered artists an Artist Toolbox (the Toolbox), which was a password-protected app that provided real-time data about tickets sold through the victim company. 

Instrumental to the criminal scheme was Coconspirator-1, a former senior employee of the victim company, who worked in the company’s Brooklyn, New York offices from approximately May 2010 to July 2012.  In approximately July 2012, Coconspirator-1 signed a separation agreement with the victim company, in which he agreed to maintain the confidentiality of that company’s confidential information.  He then joined Live Nation in approximately August 2013.

In November 2013, while employed by Live Nation, Coconspirator-1 shared with Zaidi and another Ticketmaster employee the URLs for draft ticketing web pages that the victim company had built for an artist, but had not disseminated to the public.  In response to a Ticketmaster executive explaining that the goal was to “choke off [victim company]” and “steal back one of [victim company]’s signature clients,” Coconspirator-1 offered that Ticketmaster could “cut [victim company] off at the knees” if they could win back presale ticketing business for a second major artist that was a client of the victim company.

Ticketmaster’s Intrusions Into the Victim Company’s Password-Protected Artist Toolboxes

In January 2014, Coconspirator-1 emailed Zaidi and a second Ticketmaster executive multiple sets of usernames and passwords for Toolboxes.  Coconspirator-1 encouraged the executives to “screen-grab the hell out of the system,” but also warned, “I must stress that as this is access to a live [victim company] tool I would be careful in what you click on as it would be best not [to] giveaway that we are snooping around.”  (Emphasis in original.)  The information from the Toolboxes was then used to prepare a presentation for other senior executives that was intended to “benchmark” Ticketmaster’s offerings against those of the victim company. 

In early May 2014, a senior executive of Live Nation (Corporate Officer-1) asked Zaidi and others how Ticketmaster’s presale online offering compared with the Toolbox.  Coconspirator-1 was then asked to “do a screenshare/demo” at an upcoming “Artist Services Summit.”  Coconspirator-1 agreed to “pull together a list of the log-ins and URL’s that I still have access to for this so I can give the team as much insight as possible.”  At least 14 Live Nation and Ticketmaster employees attended the Artist Services Summit, in San Francisco.  There, in front of those employees, Coconspirator-1 used a username and password he had retained from his employment at the victim company to log in to a Toolbox, and provided a demonstration.  Coconspirator-1 later also provided Zaidi and other Ticketmaster executives with internal and confidential financial documents he had retained from his employment at the victim company.

In January 2015, Coconspirator-1 was transferred to the Artist Services division, promoted to Director of Client Relations, and given a raise.  Following the promotion, Coconspirator-1 emailed another Artist Services employee, “Now we can really start to bring down the hammer on [Victim Company].”  Ticketmaster employees continued to access password-protected victim company Toolboxes through December 2015.

Ticketmaster’s Surveillance of the Victim Company’s Draft Ticketing Web Pages

Between approximately July 2014 and June 2015, Coconspirator-1 and others monitored draft ticketing web pages created by the victim company.  Although these pages were not password-protected, they were not indexed in search engines, and therefore could not be located without determining the exact URLs, which included a series of numbers.  Until the victim company or artist publicly disseminated a URL, the victim company intended to restrict access to itself and the artist.

After joining Live Nation, Coconspirator-1 explained to Zaidi and others how the “store ID” numbers in the URLs were numbered sequentially, enabling Ticketmaster employees to monitor new pages and to learn which artists planned to use the victim company to sell tickets.  Coconspirator-1 used this information to search for new victim company ticketing web pages, and sent the URLs to Ticketmaster executives.  In or about January 2015, a Ticketmaster employee was assigned to learn about this system from Coconspirator-1, and maintained a spreadsheet listing every victim company ticketing web page that could be located, so that Ticketmaster could identify the victim company’s clients and attempt to dissuade them from selling tickets through the victim company.  Zaidi explained that “we’re not supposed to tip anyone off that we have this view into [the victim company’s] activities.” 

The Deferred Prosecution Agreement and Criminal Information

Under the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement, Ticketmaster will pay a criminal penalty of $10 million and will maintain a compliance and ethics program designed to prevent and detect violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and other applicable laws, and to prevent the unauthorized and unlawful acquisition of confidential information belonging to its competitors.  Ticketmaster will also report to the United States Attorney’s Office annually during the three-year term of the agreement regarding these compliance measures.  If the Company breaches the agreement, it will be subject to prosecution for the charges in the criminal information that was filed today, charging the Company with one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, one count of computer intrusion for commercial advantage, one count of computer intrusion in furtherance of fraud, one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of wire fraud.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s New York Field Office.  The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Allon Lifshitz, Craig R. Heeren and Ian C. Richardson are in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendants:

TICKETMASTER L.L.C.

E.D.N.Y. Docket No.  20-CR-563 (MKB)

ZEESHAN ZAIDI

Age:  46

New York, New York

Governor Cuomo Directs State Agencies to Prepare Emergency Assets as Multiple Storm Systems Will Impact the State over New Year's Weekend

 

Snow, Sleet and Freezing Rain Could Affect Travel for Several Days Across Much of New York

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed State agencies to prepare emergency assets and assist local governments as needed as multiple storm systems are expected to impact locations throughout the state with snow, sleet and freezing rain through the holiday weekend. Travel conditions are expected to be impacted, with areas in higher elevations likely seeing snow and mixed precipitation, while areas in lower elevations may see rain or ice accumulation up to a quarter of an inch in some places. Other locations should see a mix of sleet, rain and freezing rain. Due to multiple rounds of winter weather conditions, isolated power outages may also occur.

"As we head into New Year's weekend, a series of storms are poised to deliver snow, rain, and freezing rain throughout the state over the next several days," Governor Cuomo said. "State agencies are already preparing emergency response equipment and stand ready to assist any of our local partners if necessary. New Yorkers should also remember to celebrate smart this year. If anyone is traveling in the coming days, please use extreme caution while driving, especially during the evening and early morning hours, when temperatures may drop below freezing and turn the rain to ice."

As a cold front approaches the state later today, a wintry mix is expected to hit the North Country, Central New York, Mohawk Valley, and Southern Tier Regions, where some areas could see light snow accumulation.  Most other areas should see a mix of rain and sleet that will likely impact travel as temperatures hover around the freezing mark.

On Friday night, another storm will impact the state with accumulating snow and sleet, freezing rain and rain that will last into Saturday morning.  Areas in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York Regions could see 1 to 3 inches of snow or mixed precipitation, while locations in the Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Capital District and Mid-Hudson Regions could see a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain.  As the storm moves through the state, snow and mixed precipitation may quickly transition to freezing rain.  Rain may quickly freeze upon contact with the ground and cause hazardous driving conditions, especially on untreated roadways.

Forecasters are watching another storm system that could produce similar hazardous weather conditions on Sunday.

The National Weather Service continues to issue advisories, watches, and warnings for potentially hazardous winter weather conditions. For a complete listing of weather watches, warnings, advisories, as well as current weather forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website.

CITY SETS AMBITIOUS GOAL OF 1 MILLION DOSES ADMINISTERED IN JANUARY

 

Tough goal can be achieved with more support and regulatory relief 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced his ambitious New Year’s resolution for  New York City: administering 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of January. With the City’s new three-point plan to double its weekly capacity, and additional support from all levels of government and private partners, the City could increase the pace and scale of its vaccination effort to make this target achievable. This goal cannot be hit by the City alone, without expanded support and increased coordination at every level of government.

“Like any good New Year’s resolution, one million doses by the end of January is an ambitious goal to say the least,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We are doing everything we can to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible, but to really pick up the pace, we need our federal and state partners on board—and fast. It will be tough, but I believe that we can do it.”

 

With the Vaccine Command Center helping to manage, triage, and coordinate the effort, the City aims to double its weekly capacity for vaccination—from hospitals, to community health care centers, to urgent care clinics—through a three-pronged plan. First, COVID-19 Vaccine Hubs will be launched across the city in January, where New Yorkers in neighborhoods across the city will ultimately  be able to go to access to a vaccine. Conveniently located testing NYC Heath + Hospitals testing sites will also serve as vaccination centers, in addition to continuing to provide ongoing  COVID-19 testing. The City is also calling on local organizations to scale up their capacity to administer vaccines quicker.

 

While the City is building out its capacity to ramp up vaccinations, continued and increased assistance from the State, Federal government, and private partners is needed to truly achieve these goals, including:

• Receiving more concrete and comprehensive guidance in advance so that NYC can expand the number of eligible New Yorkers
• Ensuring supply of the vaccine remains consistent, allowing the City to expand its reach to vaccinate more New Yorkers
• Private partners: pick up pace of getting shots into arms and increase ability to offer more vaccines to more New Yorkers every day and every week

 

With all these pieces in play, this New Year’s Resolution is ambitious, but achievable.

 

“These goals are ambitious and tough, but not impossible, provided we get the support and teamwork we need from all our partners in this fight,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog. “We’re not rosy-eyed – we  know hitting the mark here hinges on several moving pieces working together and lots going right. That’s why we’re focused on doing everything we can to create a viable pathway to achieving it, bringing as many partners to the table as possible in the process in hopes of reaching as many New Yorkers as we can as quickly as possible.”

 

“These are ambitious goals, but we must be bold about turning vaccines into vaccinations swiftly—because it will save lives,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “One key is doubling points of access for vaccination across our entire City, including not just hospitals but also community health centers, urgent care clinics, pharmacies, and dedicated vaccine hubs.”

Attorney General James and Governor Cuomo Renew Suspension of State Debt Collection for Ninth Time as Coronavirus Continues to Impact New Yorkers’ Wallets

 

New Yorkers with Student and Medical Debt Referred to AG’s Office

Will Have Payments Automatically Frozen Through January 31, 2021

 New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the state will renew, for the ninth time, an order to halt the collection of medical and student debt owed to the state of New York that has been specifically referred to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for collection — with limited exceptions — through January 31, 2021. In response to continuing financial impairments resulting from the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the OAG will again renew orders, taking effect tomorrow morning and going through Sunday, January 31, 2021. After this period, the OAG will reassess the needs of state residents for another possible extension. Additionally, the OAG will accept applications for suspension of all other types of debt owed to the state of New York and referred to the OAG for collection.

“As we head into a new year, millions of New Yorkers are continuing to see and feel the financial impact of COVID-19,” said Attorney General James. “While hope is on the horizon with a vaccine, my office will not add undue stress or saddle New Yorkers with unnecessary financial burden at this time. We are renewing the suspension of student and medical debt collection referred to my office through the end of January in an effort to alleviate hardships and support New Yorkers as they navigate through these difficult times. My office will continue to look for ways to help New Yorkers to get back on their feet, and, by working together, it is our hope that we can rebuild our state’s economy and move towards a period of recovery.”

“New Yorkers made enormous sacrifices to bend the curve of this deadly virus, and we recognize many people are still struggling with both emotional pain and economic hardship as a result of this crisis,” Governor Cuomo said. “Renewing the suspension on the collection of student and medical debt that is referred to the attorney general’s office for an additional 31 days will help lessen the burden faced by so many families and businesses whose livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic. I’m grateful to the attorney general for her partnership.”

Millions of New Yorkers, like Americans across the nation, have been impacted — directly or indirectly — by the spread of COVID-19, forcing them to forgo income and business. Since COVID-19 began to spread rapidly across the country in mid-March, tens of millions of residents across the nation have filed for unemployment, including more than 4.5 million in New York state alone. In an effort to support many New Yorkers economically impacted during this difficult time, Attorney General James today renewed an order — first made in March and renewed in April, in May, in June, in July, in August, in September, in October, and in November — to ease the financial burdens for many workers and families by halting the collection of medical and student debt owed to the state of New York and referred to the OAG for collection — with limited exceptions — through January 31, 2021.

The OAG collects certain debts owed to the state of New York via settlements and lawsuits brought on behalf of the state of New York and state agencies. A total of more than 165,000 matters currently fit the criteria for a suspension of state debt collection, including, but not limited to:

• Patients that owe medical debt due to the five state hospitals and the five state veterans’ homes;
• Students that owe student debt due to State University of New York (SUNY) campuses; and
• Individual debtors, sole-proprietors, small business owners, and certain homeowners that owe debt relating to oil spill cleanup and removal costs, property damage, and breach of contract, as well as other fees owed to state agencies.

The temporary policy has also automatically suspended the accrual of interest and the collection of fees on all outstanding state medical and student debt referred to the OAG for collection, so New Yorkers are not penalized for taking advantage of this program.

New Yorkers with non-medical or non-student debt owed to the state of New York and referred to the OAG may also apply to temporarily halt the collection of state debt. Individuals seeking to apply for this temporary relief can fill out an application online or visit the OAG’s coronavirus website to learn more about the suspension of payments. If an individual is unable to fill out the online form, they can also call the OAG hotline at 800-771-7755 to learn more.

MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS EDWARD GRAYSON SANITATION COMMISSIONER

 

Twenty-one-year DSNY veteran has served as Acting Commissioner since September

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today appointed Edward Grayson as the Commissioner of the City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY). Grayson, a twenty-one-year DSNY veteran, has served as Acting Commissioner since September. His father was a Sanitation worker and supervisor, and his mother was recycling outreach coordinator during the rollout of the City's groundbreaking citywide recycling program in the 1990s.

 

“Edward Grayson has distinguished himself in his Acting Commissioner role this autumn and winter. He has brought energy, experience, and passion for the agency’s mission to his role, and he has fully earned New Yorkers’ trust to keep our city clean and safe,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m proud to offer him this role on a permanent basis, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a fairer and better city.”

 

"As we have seen in these few short months since stepping in as acting Commissioner, Ed Grayson has the experience and dedication needed to lead New York's Strongest," said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. "Coming from a working-class family dedicated to public service, Ed knows the true meaning and dignity of serving this city. I look forward to continuing working alongside such a devoted public servant."

 

“Growing up in Ridgewood, everyone in my neighborhood had a plan for how they’d someday serve the people of New York, as so many of our parents did, including my own. As a Sanitation Worker, a Supervisor, a Superintendent, and a Chief, I’ve been proud to do just that for the last 21 years,” said Edward Grayson. “I want to thank Mayor de Blasio – and the men and women of this Department – for the trust they have placed in me during these deeply challenging times. Together, we’ll keep the city safe and clean.”

 

Before serving as Acting Commissioner, Grayson was appointed four-star chief and Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection in September of 2017. Grayson was Operations Chief overseeing snow removal during the 2016 Jonas Blizzard, the largest snowstorm in New York City history.

 

As Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection, Grayson oversaw day-to-day operations for DSNY, including the collection, recycling and disposal of more than 12,000 tons of waste per day. He implemented new technologies to improve snow removal and reform front-line operations, and he has been a leader in the Department's implementation of the City's aggressive zero-waste goals.

 

Grayson was raised in Ridgewood, Queens.

 

No. 208: Declaring an Emergency on Order to Appoint New Jersey and Connecticut Police Officers as Railroad Police Officers to Provide Enhanced Security on Commuter Trains, Buses, and Ferries

 

No. 208 

E X E C U T I V E  O R D E R

DECLARING AN EMERGENCY IN ORDER TO APPOINT NEW JERSEY AND CONNECTICUT POLICE OFFICERS AS RAILROAD POLICE OFFICERS TO PROVIDE ENHANCED SECURITY ON COMMUTER TRAINS, BUSES, AND FERRIES

WHEREAS, the holiday season is a time of heightened alert and increased risk of terrorist attack as terrorists typically consider significant, symbolic dates when planning attacks, with the objective of inflicting mass casualties and maximizing the economic and psychological damage to the United States, as evidenced by the November 2010 plot to bomb a holiday tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon by a homegrown violent extremist; the December 2010 attack on a market filled with Christmas shoppers in Stockholm, Sweden by a suicide bomber; the December 2010 arrests in the United Kingdom of 12 individuals plotting to conduct attacks during the holiday season; the December 2016 attack in Berlin where a truck was driven into a crowd of people located at the Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church; the 2016 nightclub attack in Istanbul that left 39 people dead during a New Year's Eve celebration in 2016; the December 2017 bombing in a tunnel in New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal, which was inspired by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (‘ISIS”) Christmas propaganda and conducted after the attacker saw holiday-themed posters on the tunnel walls; the continued threats issued in 2018 by pro-ISIS social media users calling for ISIS supporters to conduct attacks during the upcoming holiday season; and the December 2018 active shooter attack by a terrorist at a popular Christmas Market in Strasbourg, France, which killed 5 and injured 11 more;

WHEREAS, New York State has been subject to terrorist attacks and plots, including the World Trade Center bombing in 1993; the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001; the Brooklyn Bridge Plot in 2003; the Financial Centers Plot in 2004 targeting the New York Stock Exchange and Citigroup Center in New York City and the Prudential Plaza in Newark, New Jersey; the 2007 plot to blow up jet fuel supply tanks and the pipeline that fed the tanks located underneath the John F. Kennedy International Airport; the May 2009 plot to bomb a Bronx synagogue and the Stewart Air National Guard Base; the failed plot of Faisal Shahzad in May 2010; the May 2011 plot by Ahmed Ferhani and Mohamed Mamdouh to bomb New York City Synagogues, during which Ferhani and Mamdouh discussed additional targets in New York City, including churches and the Empire State Building; the October 2012 foiled attempt by Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis to detonate a 1,000 pound car bomb outside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Lower Manhattan; the planned attacks by Quazi and his brother in November 2012 directed at landmarks in New York; the 2014 indictment of Mufid Elfgeeh, a Rochester resident who is alleged to have provided material support to ISIS; the September 2016 attack in New York City involving a pressure cooker style bomb that injured more than 30 people and involved additional detonated and undetonated devices; the October 2017 attack in Lower Manhattan involving Sayfullo Saipov, who drove a rented Home Depot truck down a bike path killing eight people and injuring 12; the October 2018 plot by a Rockland County man to detonate a 200 pound explosive device on Election Day; the October 2018 package bombs that were sent to multiple locations in New York, including CNN’s Headquarters in NYC and a Westchester residence; the Queens resident who was arrested in June 2019 for purchasing firearms with obliterated serial numbers and was plotting to attack Times Square; the Brooklyn man who was arrested in November 2019 for allegedly disseminating ISIS propaganda and bomb-making instructions in an effort to incite violence in New York City and elsewhere; and the machete attack during Hanukkah in Monsey, New York on December 28, 2019.   All of these examples demonstrate that terrorists continue to pose a persistent threat to the State of New York; 

WHEREAS, while there is no known confirmed threat to the New York City metropolitan area, New York transportation systems have been repeatedly targeted by terrorists, including: the previously mentioned 2017 Port Authority Bombing; the 2016 plot by three men planning to conduct bombings and shootings in Times Square and within the City's subway system during the month of Ramadhan on behalf of ISIS; the 2013 al-Qa'ida - directed plot to derail a passenger train traveling from Toronto to New York; the Zazi plot against New York City subways in 2009; the 2008 plot by Bryant Neal Vinas aimed at the Long Island Railroad; the 2006 plot to bomb the Port Authority-Trans Hudson (PATH) train tunnels; and the 2004 plot to bomb Herald Square in Manhattan. The targeting of transportation systems by terrorist groups is further demonstrated by the bombing on the Saint Petersburg Metro in Russia and the Parsons Green tube station in London, England in 2017; the bombings at an airport and metro station in Brussels, Belgium in 2016; and coordinated bombings across London's mass transit system in 2005 and in Madrid in 2004;

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of commuters travel between the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut via mass transit systems that include interstate rail, bus, and ferry systems accessible to the public, and enhanced law enforcement presence on these conveyances is prudent to protect public safety;

WHEREAS, on September 24, 2014, in response to heightened concerns of terrorist activities, New York State and New Jersey formalized a counterterrorism partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding whereby additional security measures and protocols were agreed upon in an effort to bolster the security posture of the Bi-State Region;

WHEREAS, the ISIS continues to use social media sites to repeatedly call on sympathizers to carry out attacks within the United States and Western countries in any manner or way;

WHEREAS, 131 people were murdered and 413 more were injured in multiple, simultaneous terrorist attacks in Paris, France on November 13, 2015; at least 20 people were murdered in a November 20, 2015 terrorist attack in Bamako, Mali; 32 people were killed and more than 300 people were injured after three coordinated suicide bombings at an airport and metro station in Brussels, Belgium on March 22, 2016; 86 people were murdered and 434 people were injured after a terrorist attack on a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France on July 14, 2016; 5 people were murdered and 49 more injured on the Westminster Bridge and areas outside of the Parliament Building in a vehicle and knife attack in London, England on March 22, 2017; 5 people were murdered and 14 people were injured in a truck attack in Stockholm, Sweden on April 7, 2017; 22 people were murdered outside of Manchester Arena in Manchester, England on May 22, 2017; 8 people were murdered and 48 people injured during an attack on and around London Bridge in London, England on June 3, 2017; 16 people were murdered and 152 people were injured in multiple attacks involving vehicles, knives and explosives in Las Ramblas, Barcelona and Cambrils in Catalonia, Spain between August 17 and 18, 2017; 4 people were murdered and 15 people were injured in March 2018 during an ISIS-inspired active shooter attack and hostage situation in Trebes, France; authorities in the Netherlands foiled a complex coordinated attack in September 2018 by arresting 7 men who planned to target a mass gathering event with firearms and explosives; 4 people were killed and 2 were injured at the Central Police headquarters in Paris, France, after a radicalized terrorist went on a stabbing spree in October 2019; and 2 people were stabbed to death and 3 more were injured near London Bridge in November 2019, by a terrorist wielding a knife and wearing a hoax suicide vest;

WHEREAS, 49 people were murdered and 53 people were injured in a terrorist attack on the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016; 13 people were injured in a terrorist attack perpetrated by Abdul Artan at the Ohio State University on November 28, 2016; threats were issued in 2016 involving the 90th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City; 59 people were murdered and more than 800 were injured during a mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017; 26 people were murdered and 20 people were injured in a church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas on November 5, 2017; 2 people were murdered and 5 were injured in March 2018 after several package bombs were sent indiscriminately to residents of Texas; 11 people were murdered and 6 people were injured in an anti-Semitic active shooter attack in October 2018 at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and 12 people were murdered and more than 20 people were injured in a November 2018 shooting at a restaurant in Thousand Oaks, California;

WHEREAS, the ISIS has released a propaganda video containing images of New York City purportedly under attack;

WHEREAS, various terrorist groups continue to issue threats in an attempt to motivate homegrown terror attacks in the United States;

WHEREAS, New York's sister states, Connecticut and New Jersey, have agreed to deploy police officers to provide increased security on commuter trains, buses, and ferries going in and out of New York State;

WHEREAS, sworn members of the Connecticut State Police, sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of Connecticut, sworn members of the New Jersey State Police, and sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of New Jersey are restricted in their law enforcement authority once such a conveyance crosses the jurisdictional boundary between Connecticut and New York or between New Jersey and New York;

WHEREAS, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are all members of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which allows for mutual assistance and resource sharing among sister states;

WHEREAS, the EMAC provides that emergency forces from the sending state, while operating within the jurisdictional boundaries of the receiving state pursuant to the compact, shall have the same powers (except that of arrest, unless specifically authorized by the receiving state), duties, rights and privileges as are afforded forces of the receiving state in which they are performing emergency services;

WHEREAS, to utilize the police resources provided by New York's sister states, New York State must confer police officer powers, including arrest powers, on such officers while they are within its geographic jurisdiction;

WHEREAS, Section 88 of the Railroad Law authorizes the Superintendent of the State Police to appoint any person as a railroad police officer only under prescribed circumstances and subject to certain limitations;

WHEREAS, if such circumstances and limitations were applied to sworn members of the Connecticut State Police, sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of Connecticut, sworn members of the New Jersey State Police, and sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of New Jersey who are serving as railroad police officers from 12:01 A.M. on December 30, 2019 through 12:01 A.M. on January 3, 2020, such application would prevent, hinder, and delay action necessary to respond to a terrorist attack or a threat thereof;

WHEREAS, Section 29-a of the Executive Law authorizes the suspension, alteration and modification of statutes, local laws, ordinances, orders, rules or regulations, or parts thereof, if compliance with such provisions would prevent, hinder or delay actions necessary to cope with a disaster emergency and the inclusion of any other terms and conditions;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ANDREW M. CUOMO, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State of New York, do hereby find that a disaster may be imminent to which the affected local governments are unable to respond adequately without assistance. Therefore, pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Constitution of the State of New York and Section 28 of Article 2-B of the Executive Law, I hereby declare a State Disaster Emergency in effect as of December 30, 2020;

FURTHER, pursuant to the authority vested in me by Section 29-a of the Executive Law to temporarily suspend and modify specific provisions of any statute, local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation, or parts thereof, of any agency during a State Disaster Emergency, if compliance with such provisions would prevent, hinder or delay action necessary to cope with the disaster, I hereby temporarily suspend and modify, for the period from 12:01 AM on December 30, 2020 until 12:01 AM on January 3, 2021, the following laws for purposes of appointment of sworn members of the Connecticut State Police, sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of Connecticut, sworn members of the New Jersey State Police, and sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of New Jersey as Railroad Police;

FURTHER, Subdivision 1 of Section 88 of the Railroad Law insofar as it requires the Superintendent of the State Police to appoint railroad police officers only upon the application of a corporation, express company, or steamboat company, is modified to the extent necessary to allow the Governor to appoint, and I do hereby appoint, sworn members of the Connecticut State Police, sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of Connecticut, sworn members of the New Jersey State Police, and sworn police officers of any county or municipality in the State of New Jersey as railroad police officers, and to include all rail and bus facilities and property owned, operated or in the custody or control of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or its subsidiaries, the Metropolitan Transit Authority or its subsidiaries, New Jersey Transit or its subsidiaries, and ferries certified to carry passengers to and from New York State; and Subdivisions 2 through 17 of Section 88 of the Railroad Law, as necessary to effectuate this Order; and

FURTHER, this Order shall in effect at 12:01 AM on December 30, 2020 and shall remain in effect until 12:01 AM on January 3, 2021, and may be extended, with further notice consistent with Section 29-a of the Executive Law, upon consideration of a continued heightened alert of terrorist attack, at which time the suspension of laws may be extended upon consideration of a continued heightened alert of terrorist attack.

G I V E N   under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State in the City of Albany this thirtieth day of December in the year two thousand twenty.

BY THE GOVERNOR          

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES 311'S RECORD-SETTING 23.5 MILLION CALLS IN 2020

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that the City's 311 call center handled a record 23.5 million calls this year — the highest volume in 311's nearly 18 years of operation. The spike was driven by New Yorkers' need for essential services and life-saving information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

At the height of the pandemic, 311 became a lifeline for New Yorkers seeking access to meals, healthcare, testing, remote learning devices, and more. Hundreds of call center representatives remained on-site to serve their fellow New Yorkers in need. These essential workers are among the unsung heroes of the pandemic. 

 

“When New Yorkers need assistance with finding food, testing, remote learning devices and more, they turn to 311,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “It’s hard to imagine a more difficult time than 2020, but think for a moment how lost we would be without the essential workers at 311. Even if you didn’t have the need to pick up the phone and call them this year, take a moment to offer your thanks and solidarity to these humble and dedicated public servants. Our city is stronger because of them.”

 

This year’s call volume shatters previous records of approximately 21 million calls in 2015 and 22 million calls in 2011, and represents a 20 percent increase over 2019 call volumes. And despite the unprecedented demand, the 311 team has driven down average customer wait times to approximately 33 seconds. 

 

"This year, New Yorkers turned to 311 more than ever before to navigate City services," said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan."Thanks to the hard work of many public servants, 311 represents government accessibility at its best. I commend Commissioner Tisch and everyone at 311 for a job well done during this challenging year."

 

"311 is a service every single New Yorker can rely on, especially as we continue to respond to COVID-19," said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. "Whether a New Yorker is looking to get information on food resources, testing, or learn about alternate side parking, 311 is always there to help. I thank Commissioner Tisch and her staff for their extraordinary work during these trying times."

 

"Even at a time of record call volumes, the team’s data-driven approach allowed us to deliver the same high-quality customer service that New Yorkers have come to expect out of 311,” said DoITT Commissioner and Citywide Chief Information Officer Jessica Tisch. “I especially want to thank our dedicated call center representatives for their unwavering commitment to the people of New York City.”

 

In addition to optimizing operations to address the increase in calls during the pandemic, 311 has remained a trusted source for everyday information such as alternate-side parking, trash collections, and school closures.

 

NYC 311 is available 24/7, 365 days a year in nearly 180 languages through the call center, online, a mobile app, social media, and by texting 311-NYC (692). NYC 311 can also be reached through video relay service at 212-NEW-YORK (639-9675) and through TTY at 212-504-4115.