Although crime in the City is at historic lows, domestic violence persists. Every day, the New York Police Department (NYPD) responds to over 700 domestic incidents. This bill requires the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence (OCDV), in conjunction with the NYPD, to submit to the Mayor and Speaker of the Council and post on its website a report detailing information about the City’s new domestic violence initiatives. The report must include data on housing attorneys placed in Family Justice Centers and the results of efforts of such attorneys to assist survivors with legal matters related to housing, such as removing perpetrators from leases, transferring leases from perpetrators to survivors, and terminating leases without penalty. The report must also include data on chronic domestic violence cases and chronic offenders, NYPD outreach efforts to survivors, and NYPD practices to identify and track chronic offenders. OCDV is required to submit reports quarterly and annually.
- Helen K. Rosenthal
- Stephen T. Levin
- Fernando Cabrera
- Margaret S. Chin
- Costa G. Constantinides
- Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.
- Laurie A. Cumbo
- Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.
- Mathieu Eugene
- David G. Greenfield
- Corey D. Johnson
- Peter A. Koo
- Karen Koslowitz
- Rory I. Lancman
- Brad S. Lander
- Mark Levine
- Alan N. Maisel
- Carlos Menchaca
- Rosie Mendez
- I. Daneek Miller
- Antonio Reynoso
- Donovan J. Richards
- Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
- Paul A. Vallone
- James G. Van Bramer
- Annabel Palma
- Andrew Cohen
- Vincent J. Gentile
- Eric A. Ulrich
- The Public Advocate (Ms. James)
- Filed (End of Session)
History
Int. No. 1496
By Council Members Rosenthal, Levin, Cabrera, Chin, Constantinides, Cornegy, Cumbo, Espinal, Eugene, Greenfield, Johnson, Koo, Koslowitz, Lancman, Lander, Levine, Maisel, Menchaca, Mendez, Miller, Reynoso, Richards, Salamanca, Vallone, Van Bramer, Palma, Cohen, Gentile, Ulrich and the Public Advocate (Ms. James)
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to reporting on certain domestic violence initiatives
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Section 19 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new subdivision e to read as follows:
e. Reporting on domestic violence initiatives. 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this subdivision, the following terms have the following meanings:
Acts or threats of violence. The term “acts or threats of violence” includes acts that would constitute violations of the penal law.
Chronic domestic violence case. The term “chronic domestic violence case” means crimes determined by the police department to be related to domestic violence that involve a chronic offender.
Chronic offender. The term “chronic offender” means a perpetrator who has been arrested more than once for a crime determined by the police department to be related to domestic violence or who has been identified in more than one domestic incident report prepared by the police department.
Domestic violence. The term “domestic violence” means acts or threats of violence, not including acts of self-defense, committed by a family or household member against another family or household member.
Family justice center. The term “family justice center” means a program of the office to combat domestic violence that provides criminal justice, civil legal and social services to victims of domestic violence, elder abuse and sex trafficking.
Family or household member. The term “family or household member” means persons related by blood or marriage, current or former spouses or domestic partners, persons who share a child in common, persons who are cohabitating or have cohabitated, or persons who are or have been in a continuing social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature.
Perpetrator. The term “perpetrator” means a person who has or who is alleged to have committed domestic violence.
Police department. The term “police department” means the police department of the city.
2. Report required. Beginning April 1, 2017, and quarterly and annually thereafter, the office to combat domestic violence, in conjunction with the police department, shall submit to the mayor and speaker of the council and shall post on its website, no later than 30 days after the end of each quarter and each calendar year, a report regarding certain domestic violence initiatives in the city. Such report shall include:
(a) The number of attorneys placed in family justice centers to assist victims of domestic violence with legal matters related to housing, disaggregated by total in all family justice centers and each family justice center;
(b) The number of vacancies in family justice centers for attorneys who can assist victims of domestic violence with legal matters related to housing, disaggregated by total in all family justice centers and each family justice center;
(c) The results of the efforts of attorneys placed in family justice centers to assist victims of domestic violence with legal matters related to housing, including removal of perpetrators from rental agreements, transfer of rental agreements from perpetrators to victims of domestic violence, and termination of rental agreements by victims of domestic violence without penalty;
(d) The total number of chronic domestic violence cases, disaggregated by precinct;
(e) The total number of chronic offenders, disaggregated by precinct;
(f) The scope of outreach efforts by the police department to victims of domestic violence in cases where a perpetrator violates an order of protection issued by a court of competent jurisdiction;
(g) The tools, practices and interventions used by the police department to identify and track chronic offenders and the results of such tools, practices and interventions in assisting with the apprehension of chronic offenders; and
(h) Any other interventions categorized by the office to combat domestic violence.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
ML
LS #9509; 9643
11/21/16