Restler challenges Tisch on incarceration and Be Heard response rates

What else is needed for NYCHA?

Oh, we could have a very long conversation about that, but I think in terms of policing,

resources, you are seeing very good outcomes.

There's obviously a lot more work that can be done.

I think a lot of it is on the social services side, but from policing at this time, we feel like we have the right strategy in place and the right resources too.

Deliver results.

All right, thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Ressler, followed by Councilmember Banks.

Thank you so much, Chair Lee and Chair Felice.

Appreciate both of your leadership.

And Commissioner, it's always good to see you.

Good to see you.

I disagree with you on a number of issues, but I appreciate your competence and the integrity that you've returned to the department and think that a number of things are moving in a positive direction, and I want to credit you for that.

I also just want to take a moment to shout out Chief Obey and her XO, Chief O'Sullivan, who have been really responsive to some of the issues that we face in the 8-4, and I'm really grateful for that.

They've made a real effort, and it's been very much appreciated, so I just want to take a moment to say something nice before I give you a hard time.

Troubled by your response to Councilmember Brooks-Powers'comments, questions,

around incarceration.

Just to put a finer point on it, we're about three years away from the opening of the Brooklyn Jail.

We have twice as many people incarcerated in Rikers right now from Brooklyn as what that jail can accommodate.

We need an all-hands approach from the police department, from the Department of Correction, from the courts, and from a whole lot of other stakeholders, including the council, to work together to drive down incarceration in New York City.

And I'd hope that you'd be a partner in that effort so that we can reduce unnecessary incarceration, reduce the amount of time that people are incarcerated.

All working together as much as possible to achieve the smaller and safer vision of what Close Rikers is about.

Understood.

I was also deeply troubled by the data you shared around Be Heard.

So I'll just walk through the data that I think I heard, and you can correct me if I said something.

Hold on, I've got to get it out.

You get it out.

I'll talk while you get it out.

Okay.

So 4.3 million calls to 911 annually.

You said that in the first four months of this year,

Only 17,961 of the calls you received were appropriate for Be Heard.

Is that right?

Hold on.

Yeah, Alex says yes.

Yes, that is correct.

So that's about 54,000 calls annually.

So 54,000 calls out of 4.3 million is that 1.2% of calls into 911 are appropriate for Be Heard, according to the police department's view.

The total number of nonviolent, nonweapon calls from emotionally disturbed persons.

2024 was 85,793.

So we believe that if you say that that's going to be constant every year or, you know, the percentage is about 2% of 911 calls for service under the current criteria.

I had you at 1.2 based on the first four months of this year.

You're saying in 2004 it was a little higher, but in that range.

So firstly, I just think for this administration, it's taking a different approach that we want to invest in alternative responses for nonviolent situations.

Saying that 1% to 2% of our calls is appropriate for Be Heard, I think is unfortunate.

But even more troubling, which is not on your plate, is that for 97% of the calls year to date, just 1,411 out of the 17,961 calls that were appropriate for Be Heard, according to you, just...

2.6% of those calls were actually responded to by Be Heard.

I have 1,411 out of 17,961.

7.9% from January 1st to April 30th.

So to put a finer point on all of that,

That is 0.01% of calls that Be Heard is responding to.

0.01% of calls.

That is so small, it's a rounding error, it's negligible.

Does the program even exist?

We're spending gosh knows how many tens, hundreds of millions of dollars on this program.

It was functioning at some point.

It doesn't seem like it's even functioning today.

So we have some questions for the fire department.

and health and hospitals for why be heard is essentially irrelevant.

I think that of the lowest of low-hanging fruit in the vision of what the Office of Community Safety can be and eventually the Department of Community Safety, to my colleagues, is that nicely done?

Thank you, Nan.

We got a co-sponsor in the room.

This is the lowest of low-hanging fruit, and it's an embarrassment.

Well, I'll do round two because I talk too much.

Brooklyn Central Booking has been a serious problem.

I'm grateful that your team has finally confirmed for us this morning that we'll get a tour.

We've seen too many fatalities and serious issues there.

And in round two, I'd like to dig in more on response time.

So thank you, chairs.

Thank you.

We'll adjourn to round two.

And we, oh no, not yet.

And then now we have Councilmember Banks.

Go ahead.