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Q&A
Issues with CCTV cameras at senior buildings and maintenance processes
1:32:48
·
3 min
Council Member Chris Banks questions NYCHA about the DOI report finding that 70% of CCTV cameras at senior buildings were inoperable or inaccessible. Lauren Gray from NYCHA explains their maintenance and repair processes for the cameras.
- NYCHA regularly checks CCTV cameras at senior developments.
- When a camera is reported inoperable, NYCHA aims to repair it within 24 to 72 hours.
- Most repairs are done in-house, with outside vendors used for extensive work.
- NYCHA has approximately 20,000 cameras, but exact numbers of functioning cameras were not provided during the hearing.
Chris Banks
1:32:48
The DOI report found that 70% of the CCTV cameras at senior buildings were inoperable or inaccessible.
1:33:00
What are the causes as to why the cameras were inoperable or inaccessible?
Lauren Gray
1:33:06
I don't know what they were at the time of the investigation, but I know we regularly check safety the safety and security CCTV cameras at senior developments.
1:33:15
Not having access, some of our systems are standalone.
1:33:19
They don't directly connect to
Chris Banks
1:33:20
How old these how how old are these cameras?
Lauren Gray
1:33:22
It varies from development to development.
Chris Banks
1:33:26
So, I mean, as far as the the maintenance of these cameras, can you dive into what that looks like?
Lauren Gray
1:33:32
So if we find out that a camera is inoperable, my team is notified.
1:33:37
We go out within twenty four to seventy two hours to repair the camera as quickly as we can.
1:33:42
If it requires extensive work, we would potentially go to an outside vendor to do the work, but we do most of the work in house.
1:33:48
It's just easier for us to manage and track.
Chris Banks
1:33:50
How many cameras are working as of today?
Lauren Gray
1:33:53
I'm assuming all 20,000, but I don't have that number right now.
Chris Banks
1:33:56
You said you're assuming all 20,000?
1:33:59
Yes.
1:33:59
You would you agree that that should be a number you should know that?
1:34:08
I mean, when we're talking about securing safety of people's lives and and and and and cameras being a deterrence or possibly bringing justice or helping to bring justice, do you think it was important to have that information today to
Lauren Gray
1:34:29
Absolutely.
1:34:30
But I haven't been made aware of any cameras that are not working for today.
Chris Banks
1:34:33
So so you said you would assume that all cameras are working?
Manny Martinez
1:34:36
Yes.
Chris Banks
1:34:39
What is NYCHA doing to to maintain these cameras?
1:34:43
You do
Lauren Gray
1:34:44
So there are several things that we're doing.
1:34:47
Again, if if janitorial staff, when they come down and they see that a camera's been vandalized, they report to us immediately.
1:34:53
We go out into the field.
1:34:54
Vandalism, usually, with the cameras is someone needs to have spray painted on it or they've cracked it open.
1:35:01
The team is replacing the camera heads as as quickly as possible.
1:35:04
If property management notices when they're going through their day to day that a camera's not working, they notify us immediately and we deploy some staff to go in and correct.
Chris Banks
1:35:13
Was the last time you got a report that a camera or system was down?
1:35:20
And what particular development was
Lauren Gray
1:35:22
I'll have to get back to you on that information.
Chris Banks
1:35:26
How often are you being informed as to when cameras are down?
Lauren Gray
1:35:32
Well, the Office of Safety and Security gets informed if it's something catastrophic like a a development
Chris Banks
1:35:38
I said how often?
1:35:39
How often?
1:35:39
How often?
1:35:40
Often?
1:35:40
If
Lauren Gray
1:35:40
if it's a well, again, I have an entire office that oversees this.
1:35:44
If it's something that's catastrophic that they need to loop me in, I I get involved.
1:35:47
But for the most part, it's usually one or two cameras that are off or couple of cameras are off per day that they go and they fix.