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Q&A
DOI investigation and NYCHA's internal efforts to address security issues
1:31:27
·
80 sec
Council Member Chris Banks questions why an outside investigation by DOI was necessary to reveal problems that should have been caught by NYCHA's internal controls. Lauren Gray from NYCHA explains their internal efforts to address security and fire safety issues before the DOI report was released.
- NYCHA began making changes in 2022, before the DOI report was released in 2025.
- They restructured the fire safety department and brought on new professionals to tackle fire impairments.
- NYCHA reduced the number of buildings requiring 24/7 fire guards from 50 to 26, improving safety and oversight.
Chris Banks
1:31:27
So that was the documented plan of action as as far as the oversight of NYCHA.
1:31:34
Why did it take an outside investigation by DOI to reveal problems that should have been caught by NYCHA's internal controls?
Lauren Gray
1:31:44
Well, we did.
1:31:45
The report only came out in 2025, and we started making these changes back in 2022.
1:31:51
Additionally, the the biggest sticking point, not even the security guards, was the fire guards.
1:31:56
So I was, tasked to oversee and restructure the fire safety department.
1:32:02
I brought on a fire safety professional, mister Joe Tarranova, and he brought on a team of folks who were not administrators but more hand to hammer kind of kind of of workers.
1:32:12
Our our tackle and our goal was to go to the developments that had the highest concentration of security fire guards, excuse me, and actually start making the repairs to the fire impairment.
1:32:24
And with that, we were able to reduce, as I mentioned in testimony, we went from a 50 buildings with fire guards pretty much twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
1:32:33
We're now down to 26 today.
1:32:35
So it's a lot easier to oversee fire guards twenty four seven in 26 buildings as opposed to a 50.
1:32:43
The residents are safer.
1:32:44
They're more secure with now fire equipment that's actually working.