NYPD - Greater Greater Washington

It's a "collision," not an "accident," in New York

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:49:00 EDT

The NYPD will start investigating crashes that seriously injure pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to fatal ones. Also, the department is going to start calling them "collisions" or "crashes" and avoid the term "accident" with its inherent connotation of no fault. (NYT)

Comment

Technology helping MPD set course for fewer homicides

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:41:00 EDT

by John Muller

DC police are on track to hit a 3-year-old goal of less than 100 homicides in 2012, after finishing January and February with fewer deaths than last year. They have help from a nationwide drop in violent crime, but the department also benefits from emerging technologies that help quell crime, and new research promises even more assistance.

The NYPD is developing gun spotting technology with the Pentagon. Photo courtesy of NYPD.

The department, and others around the nation, have experimented with a wide variety of technological tools. Some have worked, while others have turned out not to have much impact at all. Many also raise significant questions about civil liberties, when police deploy them widely against citizens without probable cause.

In New York, police are working with the Pentagon to develop weapon-spotting technology. A recent New York Times article reported, "The tool would operate as a sort of reverse infrared mapping tool by reading the energy people emit and pinpointing where that flow is blocked by some object, like a gun."

The technology, similar to night vision, has not hit the streets yet. Tests at a police shooting range have demonstrated the technology's effectiveness is limited to around 5 meters, but NYPD would like to achieve 25 meters.

DC is not involved in similar research.

"Our best bet is that the Secret Service develops it and then lets us use it," said Kristopher Baumann, Chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police's Metropolitan Police Department Labor Committee.

Baumann praised Ray Kelly, NYPD's Commissioner, for advancing his department's use of new technology to improve public safety. "Ray Kelly and NYPD are 100 years ahead of us," Baumann said.

But the Metropolitan Police Department has made investments in other technologies under Police Chief Cathy Lanier.

Public listservs now include more than 10,000 members and allow citizens to read arrest and crime reports in almost real time. MPD has installed speed cameras around the city, added closed-circuit television cameras, and ShotSpotter devices, which immediately alert police to the sound of gunfire, in high-crime areas.

Not all technology investments are working, however. A 2011 study by the Urban Institute concluded the city's more than 70 neighborhood crime cameras do not have a measurable effect on crime.

Surveillance of the city's foreboding corners and hardscrabble courtyards began in summer 2006 by Chief Charles Ramsey, now police chief in Philadelphia, with funds from the DC Council to install nearly 50 cameras. Cameras are reportedly monitored from a single control center with a police officer at the rank of lieutenant or higher present at all times. They retain footage for 10 days.

According to the study's analysis of DC's network, "[B]ecause the video cannot be zoomed in after-the-fact without distorting the image, the footage is often too granular to make positive identifications. Cameras are also sensitive to changes in weather and lighting and do not always maintain a continuous flow of coverage." The study cited the "limited use of camera footage in court cases" as evidence that cameras don't help solve or prosecute cases.

Another weapon police have used in recent years to combat crime with mixed results is the Global Positioning System. While ankle monitoring bracelets have been in use for nearly three decades, in recent years these devices have been equipped with GPS. To a determined executioner in the Barry Farm neighborhood this gadget was of no consequence; while equipped with a court-mandated GPS ankle bracelet prosecutors believe Alonzo Marlow committed two murders.

Last month the Supreme Court issued a ruling against the MPD and law enforcement agencies across the country, deciding that the warrantless use of a tracking device on a suspect's vehicle to monitor movements on public streets violated the Fourth Amendment. In response to the Supreme Court decision, the FBI announced last week they were turning off nearly 3,000 GPS devices, many of them stuck underneath cars.

In 2009, Chief Lanier declared, "We're targeting for under 100 [homicides], and I think we can do it if we give everything we've got." With 132 murders recorded in 2010 and 108 last year, Lanier is knocking at the door of her stated goal.

At this time last year, there were 15 homicides in the city. This year there have been 12.

According to the most recent statistics, MPD has recovered 311 illegal firearms this year. Last year, 1,919 total guns were recovered, the fewest recovered since 2003.

A DC law enforcement officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity envisions where and how new gun-spotting equipment could be used throughout our region. "It could prevent a lot of the violence at the Go-Go shows. You could single them out one by one," the officer said. "It could make everyone safer."

11 comments

Crime remains high, police understaffed east of the river (Feb 3, 2011)
Weekend videos: Police and bikes (Jun 11, 2011)
To reduce enforcement errors, MPD wants traffic division (Mar 17, 2011)
Black homicide rate drops but remains high (Jun 21, 2011)
Charlotte agrees with DC on streetcar technology (Jun 11, 2010)

NYPD knows little, does less

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:14:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The NYPD's state of the art crime tracking systems don't tell it how many drivers were charged in nonfatal crashes. And they don't investigate serious but nonfatal crashes at all. NYC councilmembers weren't pleased. (Gothamist)

Comment

Weekend videos: Police and bikes (Jun 11, 2011)
Struck in DC this week: 8 pedestrians, 4 cyclists (Aug 8, 2010)
Frequent enforcement, better data needed for road safety (Feb 4, 2011)
NY legislators fail to lead (Apr 8, 2008)

NYPD knows about bike tickets

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:14:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

While the NYPD doesn't investigate most bike crashes, officers are watching non-injured cyclists: They issued nearly 50,000 tickets to cyclists in 2011, almost double the number they issued to trucks. (Transportation Nation)

Comment

Weekend videos: Police and bikes (Jun 11, 2011)
Should trucks double park in bike lane or next to it? (Jan 7, 2011)
Struck in DC this week: 8 pedestrians, 4 cyclists (Aug 8, 2010)
"I'm all for bike lanes but" not enough room to double park (Jan 23, 2008)
Why don't people obey the rules when they ride a bike? (Jan 26, 2011)

NYC deploys bollards, poles, and rocks

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:05:00 EDT

by Eric Fidler

Some NYPD precincts are notorious for parking their cars on sidewalks with impunity. To stop this, the city had to install 13 obstacles at one intersection alone. (Streetsblog)

Comment

Weekend videos: Police and bikes (Jun 11, 2011)
ICC opposition put Navarro over the top (May 4, 2009)
NYC discusses blank walls (Feb 16, 2008)

Weekend videos: Police and bikes

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:15:00 EDT

by Matt Johnson

The NYPD have had a few high-profile clashes with cyclists in recent years.

One of the issues cyclists have been having with the police is in regard to riding in the bike lane. Some officers are ticketing cyclists for not riding in the bike lane—something that is not illegal in New York City.

As this video shows, there are plenty of valid reasons for cyclists to leave the bike lane from time to time.

Hopefully, the NYPD can better educate its officers on rules about cycling. They would be wise to follow in the footsteps of the San Francisco Police Department, which produced this video to educate officers about the rights and responsibilities of cyclists.

12 comments

Weekend video: Complete streets mean more than bike lanes (May 14, 2011)
Chicago trains officers on cycling laws (Sep 12, 2009)
WABA letter and Graham bill for bike safety (Oct 7, 2008)
Arlington PD follows up personally with cyclist (Feb 17, 2011)
WABA reports progress with MPD (Oct 30, 2008)

NYPD cracks down on cyclists

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:51:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

The NYPD has been "cracking down" on traffic violations by cyclists, issuing more than 1000 citations over the last several weeks. The press has cheered this on while ignoring the more severe consequences of many vehicular misbehaviors. Two Staten Island City Councilmembers also want bike lanes to be subject to environmental review, though other parking and lane changes aren't. Experts say that's dumb. (Gothamist, Streetsblog)

Comment

Study says bike lanes really work (Oct 20, 2008)
WABA reports progress with MPD (Oct 30, 2008)
Council balks at bike lane parking fines (Jul 16, 2008)
A backbone for people and bicycles (Nov 22, 2005)
Drivers must merge into bike lanes before turning right (Jul 13, 2010)