The New York City Housing Authority has committed to increasing the safety and

security of NYCHA residents by the installation of Security Cameras.

NYCHA’s Safety and Security Task Force has provided recommendations for security measures, including Layered Access Control to enhance building entrance security, and state of the art cost effective improvements to Closed Circuit Television surveillance systems (CCTV). A NYCHA safety and security report was issues in February 2011 outlining thoughtful, concrete, cost effective recommendations for a universal security system for all NYCHA developments.

NYCHA’s revised Safety and Security program was developed in 2009 in collaboration with the New York City Police Department, NYCHA officials, including the Executive Vice Presidents of NYCHA’s Capital Projects and Operations departments, and NYCHA’s Citywide Council of Presidents, which is comprised of resident leaders. The revised Safety and Security Program created a universal system for selection and placement of NYCHA security systems in all NYCHA developments moving forward.

More than half (3,497) of the cameras have been installed since 2003, benefitting more than 87,000 residents.

Since 1997, when the CCTV program began, NYCHA has installed nearly 7,000 cameras in more than 500 buildings at 105 developments.

NYCHA is currently developing a comprehensive security plan, working with residents on exactly where cameras should be placed.

“Ensuring that our communities remain safe is a collective responsibility. NYCHA employees, elected officials, advocates, residents and the NYPD all play a vital role in making neighborhoods safer”

- NYCHA Chairman John B Rhea

In NYCHA’s new security architecture, cameras are now 50 percent cheaper. The average cost for installing CCTV cameras prior to an evaluation period in 2010 was $165,000 per building. In the new architecture, the average cost per building for cameras is now $80,000. Economies of scale, competitive bidding, and more technology options account for this significant cost savings; residents get more security from the City Council’s investment.

As of July 2012, elected officials have allocated approximately $51 million (with another $10 million dollars allocated in the FY 2013 budget) to install CCTV and/or Layered Access Control at approximately 85 NYCHA developments. NYCHA is working to install security systems in 85

Manhattan

Bronx

Brooklyn

Staten Island

Queens

See the list of NYCHA developments that have been scheduled to receive security cameras by fall 2013 by clicking a link below:

developments by fall 2013. The new security system installations will be uniform, technologically advanced security cameras that will be part of an integrated system.

Improving the safety of NYCHA’s 334 developments is a huge challenge – with 2,600 buildings, 3,300 elevators and numerous amount of entryways, stairwells and hallways citywide – it would cost at least $200 million to install an ideal network of NYCHA security cameras. However this figure does not account for the cost to monitor and maintain the equipment over time.

On Oct. 22, 2012, NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea, along with New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane and Amsterdam Houses Resident Association (RA) President Margarita Curet announced the completed installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses.

NYCHA added 21 new security cameras to the 49 cameras that were already in place at the Manhattan development. The newest security installations were funded by a generous $300,000 contribution from Senator Duane.

NYCHA does not have the funding to install security cameras at all developments, but will install them where elected officials have allocated discretionary funding.NYCHA developments with higher crime rates are likely to see the installation of security cameras more quickly, as was the case with Amsterdam Houses.

References

http://www.plannycha.org/customer-experience/improve-safety-security/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/171204/nycha-installs-security-cameras-in-upper-west-side-housing-complexhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/news/safety-security-citywide-funding.shtmlhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/news/safety-security-facts.shtmlhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/downloads/pdf/j12septe.pdfhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/downloads/pdf/NYCHA-Chairman-John-Rhea-Delivers-CCTV-Testimony-8-16-12-FINAL.pdfhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/news/multi-million-dollar-funding-announced-for-security-cameras-at-bronx-nycha-complexes.shtmlhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/news/nycha-adds-more-security-cameras-at-amsterdam-houses.shtml