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De Blasio Plan Will Fight Crime by Installing LED Lights

Lighting initiative 'a key part' of $140 million effort to reduce crime in NYC Housing Authority

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio / AP
June 17, 2016

Bill de Blasio’s plan to fight crime in the city’s public housing properties is adding more than 300 LED lights to illuminate dark areas.

The exterior lighting is a "key part of the mayor’s action plan—$140 million comprehensive effort to improve security at 15 New York City Housing Authority sites, home to nearly 62,000 residents," a press release from the mayor’s office stated.

"Improving lighting at our developments is crucial to creating a safer, cleaner, and more connected NYCHA," said Shola Olatoye, the CEO and chair of the New York City Housing Authority.

"The Mayor’s Action Plan is a powerful example of what collaboration can do to strengthen NYCHA and enhance quality of life for residents. These permanent new fixtures will ensure our development is well-lit and our residents feel safe within their communities," Olatoye said.

De Blasio’s LED light announcement comes two weeks after New York City's police union called for more officers to deal with the increase in crime in the city’s public housing.

Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, joined the president of Teamsters Local 237 in a letter to the mayor recommending more officers to deal with higher levels of crime expected during the summer months.

The city’s public housing properties have already seen a year-over-year increase in crime through May. Murders were up 18.8 percent, burglaries were up 22.1 percent, and felony assaults were up 14.7 percent from the previous year, according to the letter.

Neither Lynch nor Patrick Floyd, the Teamsters president, responded to requests for comment.

The NYCHA "has an obligation to provide its residents with housing that is ‘decent, safe, sanitary and in good repair,’" the letter states. "Whether or not this minimum legal standard has been met, it is clear to us that the already-unacceptable crime and public safety conditions in our NYCHA developments have only further deteriorated since your Administration took office."

Last year, 1,300 more police officers were hired over de Blasio’s initial objections.

Lynch and Floyd said last year’s hires were not enough to address deficiencies in citywide staffing levels. The force has fallen by 6,000 from its pre-September 11 peak.

Having well-lit areas in public housing properties will deter crime, according to the mayor’s criminal justice director.

"The Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety is driven by the idea that deterring crime requires a broad array of strategies beyond traditional law enforcement," said Elizabeth Glazer, the director, in a statement.

"We know that a well-lit street deters crime better than a dark alley, just as opportunities for work and play promote safety better than disadvantage and disconnection. Finishing the installation of 305 permanent lights at Bushwick Houses is an important next step in this Action Plan and an important milestone for public safety," Glazer said.

Published under: Bill de Blasio