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Q&A
Rotation of security guards across NYCHA properties
0:46:58
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167 sec
Council Member Banks inquires about the rotation of security guards across different NYCHA properties and its potential impact on time sheet falsification. Commissioner Strauber explains that DOI's investigation didn't specifically focus on guard rotations.
- DOI's investigation didn't examine guard rotation practices
- The investigation focused on whether contracted guards were present at their posts
- Paper time sheets were found to be vulnerable to falsification
- DOI recommends ensuring continuous coverage without gaps, regardless of how shifts are structured
Chris Banks
0:46:58
you, councilman Bacha, member Bacha.
0:47:03
Now I just wanted to dive back into how some of your findings when it came to the the the actual security guards.
0:47:14
And is it common for NYCHA to rotate the same guards across different properties?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:47:25
In terms
Chris Banks
0:47:25
of On the same day?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:47:26
The assignment of same guards.
0:47:28
I'm I I don't know whether they rotate them or they don't rotate them.
0:47:32
I I don't know exactly how they're assigned to particular locations.
Chris Banks
0:47:37
Well, in your investigation, was that did you look into that?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:47:42
We weren't really looking into guard rotations at all.
0:47:46
We were we were looking at whether those who had been contracted to be there were present, but we weren't looking into rotation issues specifically.
Chris Banks
0:47:54
Well, when we because I know we're talking about coverage.
0:47:57
Mhmm.
0:47:58
And if if if a guard is rotated and the next guard that's supposed to be on shift doesn't show up, but it's also claiming that they were there, That that possibly could be a scenario where a guard can falsify time sheets in this situation like that?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:48:21
Sure.
0:48:22
I mean, these were paper time sheets.
0:48:23
So, you know, what we saw was was things like, you know, we were there in the middle of the day, a guard wasn't on-site, and the time sheet showed that the person had already worked a full day.
0:48:33
So the kind of thing we were seeing, I think, could happen under kind of any circumstances because they're just paper time sheets with no real real time monitoring.
0:48:42
But sure, I suppose if there was a rotation situation and someone, you know, was leaving and someone else was expected to show up and didn't, that would create the kind of circumstances that we're seeing.
Chris Banks
0:48:52
I mean, well, would you would you recommend I mean, outside of the recommendations that you gave that NYCHA observe these gaps in coverage?
Jocelyn Strauber
0:49:02
Well, certainly, there there shouldn't be gaps in coverage.
0:49:06
Right?
0:49:06
So the contract should be structured in such a way that that if there's going to be I mean, someone may have to leave the desk for some very brief period of time.
0:49:13
But other than that, the the wave for whatever period of coverage NYCHA intends to provide, which is twenty four seven for the fire guards and, you know, potentially a different schedule depending on the building for for the security guards, there should be sufficient coverage for that period, however that's accomplished.
0:49:32
It could be splitting the shift among different guards.
0:49:34
It could be somebody working a longer shift.
0:49:37
We that that's not an issue we really drilled down into because we had we had sort of more fundamental problems with the way this was being handled.