Attempted Bank Robbery at Citibank in Skyview Shopping Center

Above - Two police cars sit in front of the Citibank in the Skyview Shopping Center where there was an attempted robbery late Saturday morning.

Below - You can see two police officers inside the locked Citibank, and a note taped on the window that the bank is closed, but no reason was given.

COMPTROLLER STRINGER AUDIT REVEALS ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES ABDICATED OVERSIGHT ROLE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAM, PUTTING YOUTHS AT RISK

ACS’s mismanagement of ‘Close to Home’ service providers has “betrayed the very children it is supposed to be serving,” 

   The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) did not ensure that adequate care and rehabilitation services were provided to youths in the Close to Home program, according to an audit released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. Close to Home takes a community-based approach to put youths on a path out of the criminal justice system, but ACS has abdicated its oversight of the program, failing to meet with children and parents or adequately monitor troubled providers, potentially putting hundreds of children at risk.

“Every child in the Close To Home program deserves a chance to get back on the right track, but the Administration for Children’s Services mismanagement and hands-off approach to oversight is robbing them of that opportunity,” Stringer said. “The leadership of ACS has abdicated its responsibility to provide oversight of this program by not holding Close to Home providers accountable. This agency must take immediate action to ensure these children get the services and care they need.”

The Administration of Children’s Services launched the Close to Home juvenile justice program in 2012 to place youths ages 7 to 15 years old who have been determined to be delinquent by  Family Court and who do not require a secure placement into residential care for rehabilitation. Placement in this program allows children to live in a home-like environment closer to their families and communities, instead of a detention center, to provide an easier transition back into society after treatment.

When a child is placed in the program, ACS evaluates his or her needs and assigns them to either a Non-Secure or Limited Secure Placement residence, usually for a stay of 6 or 7 months. In Non-Secure Placement sites, which house youth deemed lower-risk by Family Court, participants attend school, receive medical care or substance abuse services as needed, can regularly call or visit with family, and take part in recreational and cultural activities.

Although this program was intended to provide a community-based path toward rehabilitation for youths, a recent Department of Investigation report revealed significant safety and oversight issues with Close to Home providers. The Comptroller’s audit takes a comprehensive look at how ACS has failed to oversee this program from top to bottom.

Auditors focused on ACS’s oversight of its Non-Secure Placement vendor network during Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015. In this time period, 560 youths were transferred into the Close to Home program and $94.9 million was spent to house them at a cost of roughly $169,480 per participant. As of July 1, 2014, nine providers were contracted to provide services at 32 sites throughout the City.

While ACS is responsible for the safety and well-being of the youths in its care, the audit identified pervasive mismanagement that put these children at risk. Auditors found that ACS was not meeting with youths in the program, or with their families, to ensure they were getting the help they needed from the providers.

• Within the first week of entering a Close to Home provider residence, each child is supposed to receive a phone call from ACS. Auditors sampled the cases of nine children who were in the program for a total of 83 months and found that ACS could only prove that one child received that initial phone call.

• Each child is also supposed to have an in-person meeting with ACS within his or her first two weeks in the program, but auditors found that only 6 of 9 meetings took place.

• Within the first 60 days of in-take, parents or guardians are supposed to have an in-person meeting with ACS, but only 1 of 9 meetings occurred.

• Each child is supposed to have a monthly meeting with ACS to discuss their progress and ensure they are receiving proper care. However, ACS could not provide evidence that one-third of those mandatory meetings took place. When these meetings did occur, ACS often neglected to discuss serious incidents such as assaults, altercations, and AWOLs, as required.

• ACS policy also required staff to contact parents or guardians every month, but there was no evidence that 86% of these calls took place.

“When ACS doesn’t bother to meet with children or contact their parents, they’re telling these kids they don’t matter, and giving up on them before they even have a chance to turn their lives around,” Stringer said. “If ACS isn’t doing their job, they can’t know if the program is working for these kids, or if their living conditions are safe.”

In order to ensure that residences are safe and secure, ACS policy requires that each Close to Home site receive one announced and one unannounced site visit each year. During these visits, ACS is supposed to identify security issues, review incident logs, and assess how the program is working for youth at a given residence. Instead, auditors found:

• ACS does not track if and when site visits occur. It took ACS two months to provide auditors with a calendar of upcoming site visits, raising questions about whether such a calendar existed before it was requested.

• Two-thirds of Close to Home residences did not receive an unannounced site visit in 2014 and ACS failed to visit two sites operated by Children’s Village – Van Horn Cottage and Bayside Cottage – at all that year.

• When ACS did conduct site visits, they did not properly review program requirements to assess whether children were benefiting from the programs, attending school, working, or less likely to commit crimes in the future.

“By failing to conduct timely and consistent site visits, ACS is potentially putting these children directly in harm’s way. It’s outrageous that the City agency in charge of this program has no idea if windows are locked, children are behaving, or staff are doing their jobs. With children as young as seven years old in this program, it is unacceptable that no one can say definitively that these sites are safe,” Stringer said.

If ACS identifies consistent staffing, security, or operations issues with a provider that put children or the community at risk, that provider is placed on “heightened monitoring status.”  Providers who do not make required changes are then placed on “corrective action status.” Children who live at these sites are at an increased risk of not receiving services and being subjected to unsafe conditions. But the audit uncovered that:

• In April 2015, ACS told auditors that no Close To Home providers were on corrective action status, even though Boys Town – which ran six sites in Brooklyn and Queens – had been placed on corrective action status fifteen months earlier.

• ACS did not have an accurate list of all providers on heightened monitoring or corrective action status. When the auditors received the list, the agency excluded seven sites operated by the provider SCO in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, which were placed on heightened monitoring in 2013.

• ACS did not adequately track what steps providers on heightened monitoring or corrective action status were taking to correct problems, potentially leaving children at risk.

The Comptroller’s Office made fourteen recommendations to ACS, including that it periodically verify that children in the Close To Home program are receiving required services; develop a system so supervisors can ensure staff conduct required monthly face-to-face visits with children in Close To Home’s care, and make sure staff discuss incidents including assaults, altercations, and AWOLs during these meetings; ensure that site visits assess providers’ operations and verify if youth and communities actually benefit from the program; and make sure that corrective actions taken by providers on heightened monitoring and corrective action status are adequately tracked.

“ACS must take real responsibility and provide the necessary oversight to turn this program around. These are New York’s children, and we all have a stake in their future. Whether it’s the conditions of our homeless shelters for families, the resources missing from our classrooms, or the lack of services in our juvenile justice programs, we cannot and will not let our children suffer any longer,” Stringer said.

To view a copy of the audit report, please click here.

Statement From A.G. Schneiderman On Federal Recall Of Toys Found By His Office To Contain High Levels Of Lead

  “I applaud the Consumer Product Safety Commission for issuing a national recall of the Cra-Z-Art products containing high lead levels that my office found on store shelves in New York.  Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers all have a responsibility to ensure that products intended for use by children are safe.  My office’s findings are symptomatic of a potentially larger problem with imported children’s products that still remains to be addressed.  For this reason, my office will continue its investigation into how these products breached the safety net that is supposed to protect our kids from exposure to unsafe levels of lead and other dangerous substances.  No parents should have to worry that a toy they buy will poison their child.”

  On April 22, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that his office had discovered high lead levels in parts of several children’s Cra-Z-Art products supplied by LaRose Industries and sold in K-Mart, Target, and Toys-R-Us stores in several areas of New York. 

Tests commissioned by Attorney General Schneiderman’s office and performed by a CPSC-accepted laboratory revealed that the wristbands associated with several Cra-Z-Art children’s products contained lead at levels of 120 to 980 parts per million (ppm) – levels that are up to almost 10-times the 100 ppm limit established under the federal Consumer Product Safety Act for children’s products.

Based on these findings, Attorney General Schneiderman called on the CPSC to require a national recall of these products.  He also called on LaRose, K-Mart, Target, Toys-R-Us, and other retailers of Cra-Z-Art products in New York – including Amazon and Walmart – to immediately remove the products found to contain high lead levels, as well as any similar Cra-Z-Art products, from their shelves in this state.  

Attorney General Schneiderman has also launched an investigation to determine how these children’s products containing high lead levels reached store shelves in New York. The Attorney General is seeking information on companies’ internal practices and procedures for keeping toxic chemicals out of children’s products, and their compliance with state and federal laws governing the safety of children’s products.

WILLIAMS' STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF MUHAMMAD ALI

                      Muhammad Ali

Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Deputy Leader and co-chair of the Council's Task Force to Combat Gun Violence issued the following statement after the death of Muhammad Ali last night at the age of 74. 

"Yesterday we lost a global legend. I am joined by millions of fans around the world in mourning the loss of Muhammad Ali. We all knew him as "The Greatest," and as a man who was not shy about voicing his opinions, no matter how controversial or out of sync "with the norm" it may have been. He was bold in everything he did, and did not compromise his beliefs for anyone, even if it meant paying a high price for it. These are traits that should be admired and duplicated by us all. He symbolized much more than a championship fighter; he embodied the spirit and perseverance of a true warrior, like so many that came out of the Civil Rights era. There will never be another force like him.

"His impact in and out of the boxing ring forever changed lives. He inspired people to believe they could make a difference, and he changed how the world viewed athletes and black men.

"My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Assalamualaikum - may peace be on your soul my brother."

RiverFest 2016 is on Rain or Shine!!!

Riverdale RiverFest 2016 Sunday, June 5th, 12-6pm, College of Mount Saint Vincent A Celebration of the River in Riverdale!

Check out the tents galore we have set up for the festival tomorrow.  Please come out for it!

Still some room left for boat rides tomorrow. They will said if it is safe to do so.

Schooner Pioneer

Schooner Pioneer Sail Times & Info:

Sunday June 5th

Adults: $25; Children (infant - age 14): $15
Sunday, June 5 9:30 am (~1.5-hour sail)

Sunday, June 5 11:30 am (~1.5-hour sail)

Sunday, June 5  1:30 pm (~1.5-hour sail)
Sunday, June 5  3:30 pm (~1.5-hour sail) 

 

Mystic Whaler

 Mystic Whaler Sail Times & Info:

Adults: $25

Children (infant - age 14): $15
Sunday, June 5 10 am (~1.5-hour ride)
Sunday, June 5 12:15 pm (~1.5-hour ride) 
Sunday, June 5  2:15 pm (~1.5-hour ride)
Sunday, June 5   4:15 pm (~1.5-hour ride) 

 

 Click here to register for your boat ride today!

Senator Klein Honors U.S. Servicemen and Women on Memorial Day

Klein Pays Tribute to Fallen Soldiers at Memorial Day Services Across the Bronx & Westchester

State Senator Jeff Klein, together with hundreds of active service members, veterans, families and children, paid tribute to our brave U.S. servicemen and women this past Memorial Day. Senator Klein attended commemorative parades across the Bronx and Westchester and laid wreaths for fallen soldiers.

“Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the extraordinary sacrifices made by our brave service men and women whose courageous acts contributed to our freedom. Each year, we mark Memorial Day by paying tribute to our fallen heroes, veterans, and active military members. We, however, must always remember our service men and women each and every day and ensuring employment is just one way.  I am extremely proud of the Veterans Tax Credit legislation that I sponsored, which helps provide jobs  for our veterans returning from overseas by offering incentives to businesses,” said Senator Klein.

This Memorial Day weekend, Senator Klein attended the Silver Beach Memorial Day Ceremony; the Edgewater Park Volunteer Hose Company No. 1 Memorial Day Parade, the Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park Ceremony in Throggs Neck; the Morris Park Annual Memorial Day Service; Town of Pelham Memorial Day Parade; and the City Island Memorial Day Parade.

Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, Silver Beach Memorial Day Ceremony with Silver Beach American Legion Post 1371 and its members

Senator Jeff Klein with Judy Lanci, president of Theodore Korony Auxiliary, Pat Devine, chairman of the Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park Incorporated, and local veterans at The Bicentennial Park Veterans Memorial Park Ceremony

Senator Jeff Klein with Peter DiPaola, Pelham’s Town Supervisor

Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, Senator Jeff Klein, John Marano of Community Board 10, and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto at the City Island Memorial Day Parade.

Senator Klein joins Silvio Mazzella at the Morris Park Annual Memorial Day Service

Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, Tony Salimbene, Senator Jeff Klein, Muhammad Abuhaikal, and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto at Edgewater Park Volunteer Hose Company No. 1 Memorial Day Parade

Friends of VCP Reaction on Recent Shooting in Van Cortlandt Park

Friends of Van Cortlandt Park Reaction on Recent Shooting in Park

The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park deplores the violence that erupted in the park on May 28th, 2016 at a nighttime party.  We have written to the NYPD to call for daily patrols in the park, especially in the nighttime hours.  And we are committed to working with both NYPD and NYC Parks to prevent and break-up unauthorized gatherings this summer on both sides of the Park.  Van Cortlandt Park is closed after 10 p.m.. Large gatherings (of 20 or more people) require permits from NYC Parks.  DJs and drinking alcoholic beverages in the park is never permitted.  All of these rules need to be enforced on an ongoing basis throughout the Park.

The park must be a safe place for families and all park visitors; we must fight to keep Van Cortlandt Park safe.  The NYPD, NYC Parks, Elected Officials, Community leaders, Block Associations, Community groups, local schools, and individuals all have a role in this vital task.

NW BRONX ELECTED OFFICIALS PEN LETTER OPPOSING YONKERS HELIPAD

 Congressman Eliot Engel, Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Council Member Andrew Cohen, announced they have written a letter to the Yonkers City Planning Board opposing the helicopter tourism company HeliNY’s proposal to build a heliport on the Ludlow waterfront area in Yonkers.

June 3, 2016

Roman Kozicky

Chairman, Yonkers City Planning Board

87 Nepperhan Avenue

Yonkers, NY 10701

Chairman Kozicky:

We are writing to you regarding the serious concerns we have about the helicopter tourism company HeliNY’s proposal to build a heliport on the Ludlow waterfront area in Yonkers.

Having reviewed HeliNY’s plan, we feel that given the significant noise and air pollution this would force on our otherwise peaceful and scenic neighborhoods, it is extremely inappropriate for a heliport to be built at that location. HeliNY’s plan offers no benefits to the local Yonkers or Bronx communities, and their heliport would be a blight on the beautiful riverfront land that we share.

As representatives for the region, we strongly urge the Yonkers City Planning Board to join us in opposition to HeliNY’s proposal, as we feel it be best for both the northwest Bronx and Yonkers communities.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and we look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Eliot L. Engel Congressman, Jeffrey Klein State Senator, Jeffrey Dinowitz Assemblyman, Andrew Cohen Council member.