Schumer, Gillibrand Get Fed Money To Fight Web Crimes Against Children
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand yesterday announced a $430,440 federal allocation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to the New York Police Department earmarked for the city’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Specifically, the funds will help the NYPD increase the number of affiliate agencies within the task force and better utilize the resources of the NYPD in peer-to-peer, child enticement, child prostitution and human trafficking investigations.
“This federal funding will help the NYPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force better protect our children from being targeted online,” said Schumer. “I will continue to fight for resources to help the NYPD combat these horrible crimes against our youth.”
“These federal funds will allow the NYPD’s New York City Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to invest in the resources necessary to help keep our children and families safe,” said Gillibrand. “Increasing coordination between the agencies would help the NYPD take important safeguards to help victims of these offenses.”
The task force will also use the resources within the NYPD, which include the Vice Enforcement Division’s Sexual Exploitation of Children Squad, the Vice Major Case Squad and the Youth Services Section. The use of the Vice Major Cases Squad will enhance the task force’s ability to investigate peer-to-peer, child enticement, child prostitution, and human trafficking investigations. The NYPD’s Youth Services will increase the task forces ability to spread its awareness and outreach programs to a larger audience within each community.
Cuomo Lauds SUNY Trustees On Felony Removal Questions
Gov. Andrew Cumo yesterday commended the SUNY Board of Trustees for acting to remove questions about a prospective student’s criminal history from admissions applications.
“I directed SUNY leadership to carefully examine this issue, because re-entry reform is a priority for my administration. We must help individuals who have served their time to move past their mistakes,” said Cuomo.
“Research shows that a majority of candidates who are asked to disclose prior felony convictions on SUNY admissions applications do not complete the process. This has a particularly negative impact on applicants of color as a result of racial disparities in the criminal justice system,” he added.
Cuomo also commended the Board of Trustees for recognizing that questions about a student’s prior felony offenses can be relevant to some aspects of the college experience. Under the reasoned proposal adopted by the Trustees, schools will be permitted to inquire about prior convictions on applications for campus housing, or participation in study-abroad or other specialized programs, and each will go through a careful, individualized assessment.
James, Williams Bill Aims To Stop Warehousing Vacant Properties
Public Advocate Letitia James and Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) today will host a press conference calling for support of a package of bills – the Housing Not Warehousing Act – surveying City’s vacant properties.
The lawmakers note that vacant properties are pervasive throughout the city, yet there is no authoritative citywide count of vacant buildings and lots. A 2011 census conducted by Hunter College and Picture the Homeless found enough vacant buildings and land in just 20 community districts to create housing for 199,981 people.
The three bills that comprise the Housing Not Warehousing Act (Intros 1034, 1036, and 1039) would empower the city to comprehensively quantify vacancies citywide, and are a crucial step to mitigate and solve the housing crisis and unparalleled level of homelessness in New York City.
Williams, who chairs the Council’s Committee on Housing Buildings, will have a hearing on the bills today at the committee hearing.
The press conference is slated for 9 a.m. today on the steps of City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Cumbo, Reynoso Bills Tracking Hate, Sex and DV Crimes Passes City Council
City Council Members Laurie Cumbo (Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights) and Antonio Reynoso (Bushwick, Williamsburg) yesterday saw their bills better tracking hatem sex and domestic violence crimes pass the City Council.
Their bills are part of a package of bills dealing with these types of crimes.
Under Cumbo’s bill (Intro. 869-A) the NYPD would be required to include in its quarterly report all sex offenses, disaggregated by specific felony and misdemeanor offenses.
Under Reynoso’s measure (Intro. 961-A,) all domestic violence reporting will be disaggregated based on whether the crime involved intimate partners.
“Last year, there were 8,027 domestic incidents reported in my district – that’s 22 per day, so I feel compelled to work proactively on this issue,” said Reynoso. “Tracking these incidents and distinguishing intimate partner violence from other types can give us the ability to target services to meet the needs on the ground. OCDV and local organizations, such as the North Brooklyn Coalition Against Family Violence in my district, provide targeted services for intimate partner violence, both for prevention, such as OCDV’s Healthy Relationship Training Academy, and for victim services as well.”
Reynoso said the data can also help authorities figure out more specifically where outreach about these services is needed.
“I look forward to a day where we can say that these services are no longer needed because we’ve eradicated domestic violence from the city; but until then, am glad that we can use this information, and the information generated by the other bills in this package, to make sure that needed services reach our communities,” Reynoso said.
Levin, Ortiz Stand Up For Brianna’s Law
City Council Member Stephen Levin (Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill) and Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (Sunset Park, Red Hook) today will join other lawmakers and advocates at a press conference in support of Resolution 1181 and Intro 83.Resolution 1181 calling on the state to enact Briana’s Law, which would require police officers to be retrained in CPR every two years.
Intro 83 would require the NYC police department to submit yearly reports concerning CPR and AED certification to the Council.
The bill is named for Brianna Ojeda, who dies four years ago on the way to the hospital after undergoing cardiac arrest at home.
More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home every year in the United States, with almost 90% resulting in death. However, if CPR is performed within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, an individual’s chance of survival can be double or even tripled.
The press conference is slated for 9:30 a.m. at City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan.
Golden on Free Screening of Silence Patton for Veterans
State Senator Martin J. Golden (Bay Ridge) yesterday commented on his partnership with Nexus Media and the Alpine Movie Theater recently regarding the free screening for veterans of the documentary “Silence Patton: First Victim of the Cold War.”
The documentary raises new questions surrounding Patton’s death and explores conspiracy theories suggesting the General’s death was not just a tragic accident but an elaborate plot to silence Patton’s warning of a looming Cold War between the United Sates and Russia.
“I want to thank documentary director Robert Orlando and the Alpine Movie Theater for offering a free screening of “Silence Patton” for our veterans. It was humbling to meet and speak with veterans of different generations and get their feedback on the movie. General Patton is an iconic military hero who was revered and feared. This movie tries to answer the many questions surrounding the suspicious accident that ended the General’s life. I encourage everyone to go see this movie when released this fall,” said Marty Golden.
