Brooklyn, NY – Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) has announced that he is introducing legislation in the new legislative session which will require New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) agents to photograph and document the condition of a property at the time a sanitation ticket is issued. According to the New York City Council Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, there were 262,426 tickets issued by DSNY in Fiscal Year 2011 for premises violations.
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Hikind’s legislation is based on the successful models in both Boston and Chicago, where sanitation agents are provided with a mobile device which allows agents to take photographs with a time and date stamp, and upload them and the summons to the central database.
“Sanitation tickets are a minimum of $100,” Hikind noted. “This is a tremendous financial burden, especially in today’s economy and for those living on a fixed income. My office is often inundated with constituents who cannot pay these unjust summonses. These violations are nothing more than a money-maker for the City, and this legislation will improve the quality of life for the average New Yorker. This legislation will not only protect home and business owners, but it will also reduce paperwork and the cost of adjudication proceedings.”
Hikind added, “Anyone who has ever received a violation knows it always comes down to their word against the agent’s word. With photographic evidence, there can be no dispute as to the guilt or innocence of a property owner. It’s a win-win for the City and for New York City’s residents.”
Hikind said he plans to work closely with leading City officials to ensure the passage of this bill. If the legislation passes, it would take effect within 90 days after it becomes law.
I don’t see how a State Senator can force the NYC Dept of sanitation to do this. The mayor will be pushing hard against it, knowing that revenues will decline significantly.
He is so right I didn’t get a sanitation summons in years but now I got 3 week after week fake accusations
Wonder what can be done? Its hard to go down to court for 100 again and again
And will Dov then introduce legislation installing cameras on every lamp post so the DSNY can ticket the slobs who throw the garbage on the premises in the first place – not the owners.
They should take pictures of people throwing litter on the sidewalks.
Isn’t this a matter to put before the City Council, not the State Assembly?
I live in montreal and here it works that way for garbage. Ticket with Picture. Go Hikind Go.
Here we go again one of those things which sounds good on paper but in the end will hurt the homeowners. If an agent would take a picture and then you submit a picture as a defense the judge will rule for the agent. The way its now with no picture, if you send in a notarized letter explaining the circumstance.You have a better chance of winning.
this s/b done with every ticket issued by any agency or police in new york
#5 NYC 2011, the answer depends on which side of the fence you are. From the prospective of the average person “justice”. The other view being that of the NYC government “revenue”.
In all fairness there is merit on both sides of the argument. There is an rapidly growing part of the NYC population with contempt for many of the basic rules of decency and law. On the other hand there is the average person who many times is the victim of the actions of those who don’t care.
A good example being the people who drop their trash where ever they please….. that trash winds up on someone elses property and that second person gets a summons. NYC being always hungry for revenue goes after person #2 because its easy and # 1 is long gone. Fair went down the drain a long time ago.
I agree with Darth Zeida & Allan totally. It doesn’t seem fair at ALL, that people can trash up a neighborhood & then the people who live in the neighborhoods, get the ticket! That’s crazy unfair!
I think this is a smooth move, and… cost effective! (:-D