Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, alongside City leaders and advocates, announced the allocation of $395,000 for public safety initiatives on the steps of Bronx Borough Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

 

NYPD Deputy Chief Keiyon S. Ramsey, Assembly Member Landon C. Dais (A.D. 77) and Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, who, as reported, led a national Gun Violence Summit with prosecutors from all over the country at Fordham University in The Bronx earlier this year, were present for the announcement.

 

The public safety initiatives include new surveillance cameras, a new NYPD mobile command van, and generally supporting public safety efforts in The Bronx. Officials say the NYPD mobile command van will allow police to react swiftly to emergencies.

 

“We are here because we recognize that all New Yorkers and all Bronxites truly care about public safety,” Gibson said. “It is one of the major priorities that we continue to focus on as an administration.”

 

She continued, “Cameras are a part of our overall goal to keep residents safe and they serve as an important tool in our toolbox for community safety. Together, we will ensure that these cameras are placed strategically across the borough.”

The borough president said cameras will be placed in areas where they are most needed, adding that their planned roll-out was mentioned during her State of the Borough address earlier this year, in efforts to deter crime in the borough.

 

Ramsey said, “We all know that cameras are a deterrent but sometimes the cameras are the only voice a victim may have in a bad situation.” For his part, Dais said, “The reality is a lot of us are tired of having to stand here and talk about these issues going on in our community, but we do have our solution-oriented leaders that are trying to get something done.”

 

Gibson said jobs and programs like the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) were also part of the solution in terms of dissuading youth from getting involved in crime. “By offering our young people constructive activities, recreation, and after-school programs, we are really setting them up for success and not failure,” she said.

 

She added, “We are reminding them that are precious and valuable and that their lives matter.”

 

Meanwhile, Clark said, “We need to prevent crime, and cameras in safety zones is one of the tools that we can use to make sure that we prevent crimes from happening. It helps people stay safe, but it is also a tool of accountability because when people don’t want to cooperate in the things that are happening, we also continue to gather evidence to make sure that we can hold people accountable that are committing the crimes and keeping the Bronx unsafe.”

 

During the budget discussion at the Sept. 11 Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) Parks committee meeting, it was mentioned that to help curb crime, security cameras had been requested by the board to be installed in all parks in the district, as well as in Mosholu Playground in Bedford Park, located next to P.S. 8, where a shooting had occurred in recent years.

CB7 Parks chair Barbara Stronczer said NYC Parks responded to the request advising that while it supports improved lighting, it does not maintain or operate any type of security cameras, and that this would have to be handled by the NYPD.

 

Stronczer added, “I can remember asking previous council people here about putting the cameras in this [Williamsbridge Oval] park and the councilman, himself, said, not the current one [Eric Dinowitz], he felt it was an interference for people to have a camera when you’re going in and out of the park, and a question of privacy and the lack of, so he would not support that.” She added that it was possible the current councilman might support the request.

 

According to NYPD data, overall Bronx crime was slightly up (1.3%) this year compared to the same point (Sept. 29) last year.

 

In other crime prevention-news, Clark joined Gov. Kathy Hochul for the signing of a new package of bills on Oct. 9, to strengthen New York’s gun laws. Among new tools and resources to help prevent gun violence, the governor said the bills will address dangerous “pistol convertors,” by requiring gun sellers to post tobacco-style safety warnings on their products.

 

Hochul said since she took office in August 2021, gun violence in New York State has declined 47 percent. “Gun violence is an epidemic that is tearing our country apart,” Hochul said in part. “Thoughts and prayers won’t fix this, but taking strong action will. That’s why in New York, we’re taking bold steps to protect the people of our State.”

As reported, after several mass shootings in 2022, including one in Buffalo, NY, State legislators passed several bills which bar the purchase of semi-automatic rifles by anyone under 21 by requiring a license, prohibits the purchase of body armor with the exception of those in specified professions, expands the list of people who can file Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), and requires law enforcement to file ERPOs under a specified set of circumstances.

 

Loopholes relating to ownership of “other guns” were closed; and there were also new requirements to micro-stamp new semi-automatic pistols; eliminate grandfathering of high-capacity feeding devices; and require social media companies to improve the response to and reporting of hateful content. The latest State bills signed by Hochul build upon those earlier bills.

 

Two days later, on June 8, 2022, federal legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives voted 223 to 204 in favor of the “Protecting our Kids Act,” which, among other measures, if passed in the U.S. Senate, would also raise the age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, and would restrict the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines. It remains pending in the U.S. Senate.

Norwood News contacted Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office for more information on its status. Her office responded explaining that the bill has not been reintroduced to Congress since it passed in 2022, and since Democrats lost majority control of the lower House. Her office suggested checking with Congressman Jerry Nadler (NY-12) for any additional information he may have on the matter. We are endeavoring to contact the congressman and will share any updates we receive.

 

Last month, on Sept. 26, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order cracking down on unserialized ghost guns, and machinegun conversion devices. He also directed his Cabinet to help improve school-based active shooter drills. “It’s our job to do better,” Biden said.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.