HIKIND SANITATION BILL CLEARS NY STATE ASSEMBLY 101 TO 3

June 19, 2012

For Immediate Release

Contact: Yehudah Meth
718-853-9616 (office)

LEGISLATION WILL REQUIRE DSNY AGENTS TO SUBMIT PHOTOS WITH SUMMONSES

HIKIND: ‘WE’RE ONE STEP AWAY FROM NEW YORKERS AVOIDING BOGUS TICKETS’

A Sanitation Bill introduced by Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) to help eliminate false sanitation tickets has passed the NY State Assembly and now awaits approval of the NY State Senate. The proposed legislation will require DSNY agents to photograph and document the condition of a property at the time a sanitation ticket is issued.

Calling the bill “the antidote to bogus tickets,” Assemblyman Hikind proposed the legislation only four months ago after proving that DSNY sanitation workers were purposely or carelessly issuing expensive tickets to his constituents and other New Yorkers. Three NY City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) agents were captured on surveillance video in Brooklyn issuing fraudulent tickets.

“Today, we’re one step closer to making the ticketing process for sanitation violations as fair as possible to home owners and business owners,” said the Assemblyman.

The Hikind legislation (#8968-B) will require sanitation agents to carry a mobile device that will allow them to take photographs with a time and date stamp of sanitation violations, and upload the photos and accompanying summons to a central database.

“Sanitation tickets are a minimum of $100,” Hikind noted. “This is a tremendous financial burden, especially in today’s economy. My office is frequently contacted by constituents who’ve received tickets yet claim innocence. Photographs will remove all doubts. This new legislation will not only protect potential victims of the system, but it will also reduce paperwork and the cost of adjudication proceedings.”

Hikind added, “Anyone who has ever received a violation knows it always comes down to their word against the agent’s. With photographic evidence, there can be no dispute as to the guilt or innocence of a property owner. It’s a win-win for the City and for New York City’s residents.”