Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2013
Contact: media@nycha.nyc.gov, (212) 306-3322

New York City Council Member Rosie Mendez and NYCHA Announce CCTV Camera Installation Complete at Campos Plaza

Council Member provides allocation of $600,000 in City Council funds for safety and security enhancements at Campos Plaza

New York City Council Member Rosie Mendez, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chairman John B. Rhea, and Campos Plaza Resident Association President Dereese Huff formally announced the completed installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in targeted areas of NYCHA’s Campos Plaza I and II. The cameras should greatly enhance security and reduce the likelihood and incidence of crime at the development. NYCHA is only able to provide this additional security because of discretionary funding provided by elected officials such as Council Member Mendez.

“We are here today to celebrate a milestone accomplishment that is primarily due to the effective advocacy and tireless dedication of the residents of Campos Plaza—who have taken the issue of public safety to heart and into their own hands,” said Council Member Rosie Mendez. “With the installation of 52 new cameras throughout the entire development, residents can rest assured that criminal activity will be significantly deterred and reduced and quality of life will be substantially enhanced and protected. I am exceptionally proud to have secured the funding essential to this project and to have worked in close collaboration with residents and NYCHA on each phase of this project.”

“The safety and security of our residents is of great importance to NYCHA, and installing CCTV cameras deters crime and enhances the quality of life of our residents,” said NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. “Through our roadmap for providing safe and secure housing for our residents, Plan NYCHA, we have been actively working with all public housing community stakeholders, including the NYPD, to ensure that issues of safety and security are addressed through a more collaborative approach. City Council Member Mendez’s work in securing funds for the cameras is a key example of such collaboration, and we appreciate and salute her support of the NYCHA community.”

The City Council capital funding at Campos Plaza provided for 52 new cameras located in all 4 buildings and the infrastructure to connect all the cameras to a Security Operations Center, where all cameras can be viewed in one place. NYCHA, the NYPD, and Resident Association leaders worked together to determine camera locations at each building. The CCTV security systems are strategically placed to monitor key areas such as building entrances, street corners, elevators, and equipment rooms. The NYPD can access footage in cases of reported criminal activity.

“Having the cameras installed is a wonderful thing for all the tenants here at Campos Plaza, who now feel a lot safer,” said Campos Plaza Resident Association President Dereese Huff. “I want to thank Council Member Mendez and NYCHA for helping get these cameras installed.”

Since the inception of the CCTV surveillance program in 1997, NYCHA has installed 7,680 security surveillance cameras of varying scale at 635 buildings in 118 developments citywide. NYCHA is on track to complete installation of CCTV, along with layered access control, at 85 development sites by the end of 2013.