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Q&A
OSS measures to ensure security guards show up at scheduled posts
1:18:45
·
158 sec
Council Member Chris Banks inquires about the Office of Safety and Security (OSS) measures to ensure security guards show up at their scheduled posts. Lauren Gray explains the improvements made in oversight and contract management.
- NYCHA increased inspections from 40-60 per month to over 250 per month
- Multiple departments now conduct inspections: Office of Safety and Security, Fire Safety Department, and Quality Assurance Department
- NYCHA sent liquidated damages memos to Allied (previous contractor) for performance failures
- NYCHA requested corrective action plans, including geofencing and additional quality assurance checks
- When Allied failed to improve, NYCHA pursued other vendors in 2023
- NYCHA acknowledges a failure in not reporting these issues to residents and Tenant Association presidents
Chris Banks
1:18:45
The how does, OSS ensure that security guards show up at their scheduled posts?
Lauren Gray
1:18:58
That is really a good question.
1:19:00
So since 2022, '20 '20 '3 when myself and, James Secrido took over the Office of Safety and Security, for mismanagement of the contract, you know, one of the, the main director, resigned.
1:19:15
The deputy director was moved.
1:19:16
The first thing we started to do was better oversight by hiring additional staff and really changing the culture of how we manage the contract.
1:19:24
So during the time of '9 '20 '19 through 2022, there was an average of 40 to 60 inspections happening per month between
Chris Banks
1:19:33
You said how many inspections?
Lauren Gray
1:19:34
40 to 60.
1:19:35
So in 2022 and twenty twenty twenty three, we upped those inspections to almost a 50 per month.
1:19:42
And from 2024 until 2025, we've been doing over 250 inspections a month between the Office of Safety and Security, the Fire Safety Department, and Quality Assurance Department, which is also under my purpose.
Chris Banks
1:19:53
And that's since the termination of the contract with Allied.
Lauren Gray
1:19:57
We've increased during Allied, we went from 40 to 60 all the way up to a 50.
Chris Banks
1:20:01
So during Allied, you were doing inspections?
Lauren Gray
1:20:03
Correct.
1:20:03
2023 through 2024.
1:20:06
And then
Chris Banks
1:20:06
And miss the fact that they were fortune time sheets?
Lauren Gray
1:20:10
No.
1:20:10
We actually went after them very aggressively.
1:20:13
We sent multiple liquidated damages demos memos to Allied.
1:20:19
We asked for a corrective action plan to try to get them to perform better when they failed to perform better either by not including geofencing, which we asked for, additional quality assurance checks on the buildings, and giving us accurate and up to date timekeeping, we started to pursue other venues to get other vendors on board in 2023.
Chris Banks
1:20:43
Were these failures that you found internally, were they made available to the residents?
Kezilar Cornish
1:20:49
Or did you They were not.
Chris Banks
1:20:50
Did you report them to the TAs?
1:20:53
And
Lauren Gray
1:20:54
No.
1:20:54
We did not.
1:20:55
And
Chris Banks
1:20:56
why was that?
Lauren Gray
1:21:00
NYCHA was too You
Chris Banks
1:21:01
don't that it it it's important for them to know that these laps exist?
Lauren Gray
1:21:06
We do.
1:21:07
But So
Chris Banks
1:21:08
so why didn't you report it to them?
Lauren Gray
1:21:09
Because they were active we were actively pursuing
Chris Banks
1:21:13
Well, after you got your findings, why didn't you think that was important to do?
Lauren Gray
1:21:20
Oversight on our part, but something we will definitely do with the next
Chris Banks
1:21:23
that you failed
Lauren Gray
1:21:24
on that?