Mayor Eric Adams floated the use of drones to patrol Central Park in the midst of an uptick in robberies within the park this year.
“I think we could do a better job in using drones to police the area from the sky,” Adams said during his weekly press conference held at City Hall on Tuesday. “There's some new technology that we're looking at that I think is going to assist us. We will roll it out when it's time to do so.”
So far in 2024, robbery, rape, grand larceny and felony assault crimes in the park have surpassed numbers from last year. Misdemeanor assault and burglary have so far stayed below 2023 levels this year.
The mayor did not elaborate on the new technology considered for policing assistance in the park. He did, however, discuss the prospect of utilizing artificial intelligence in cameras citywide to identify guns and “disorderly conduct” and mentioned “Israeli companies that came in” and gave presentations on utilizing such technology.
“AI is going to play a crucial role. A lot of people are afraid of AI. I'm excited about it. I think AI is a game changer on how we can run cities more efficiently, effectively and in a more safer way,” said Adams. “If you could identify a gun as soon as it is pulled out, that's a huge, huge boost.”
Meanwhile, the mayor said he recently met with a group of Brooklyn residents and business owners affected by the large migrant shelter complex in Clinton Hill.
Adams said he explained what the city can and cannot do, the latter of which includes the inability to stop the number of buses shuttling the migrants into the city, or allowing asylum seekers to work without proper work authorizations. The community "came out with a whole other energy" and understanding, he said. Adams also added that the residents "walked away with an entirely different appreciation of what the city is doing."
Camille Joseph Varlack, the mayor's chief of staff, said the city is "always looking for ways to try to reduce the census at some of our largest locations and find alternative locations where we can spread folks out so that there isn't such a large concentration.
There are two adjacent migrant shelters in Clinton Hill, which houses anywhere between 3,000 to 4,000 asylum seekers.
The administration also touted a lawsuit filed against National Floors Direct, a carpeting and flooring installation company, for violating consumer protection laws and engaging in deceptive business practices.
“We want to send a clear message that we are going to throw the book at businesses that prey on consumers and prey on New Yorkers,” said Deputy Mayor of Housing, Economic Development and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer.
The lawsuit alleges NFD “regularly misleads consumers about the speed and quality” of its service, complicates cancellations and refunds of its contracts and leaves customers with “shoddy work and floors that took longer to install than originally promised.”
The city is seeking civil penalties, restitution to harmed consumers and suspension of their home improvement contractor license.
The mayor also discussed the importance of accessory dwelling units as a way to ease the housing crisis, part of Adams’ City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan currently under public review.
“We talked about ADUs…We want to help homeowners, providing a living space for loved ones or caretakers,” said Adams. “If you need additional money for your mortgage, if you are a single adult, if you lost a loved one, and now you're trying to survive on your own…This is where we think we can make a big impact.”
On August 5, the mayor announced the creation of new tools and more money to help spur the building of ADUs on one-or-two-family homes. ADUs include any secondary independent unit on the same premises as the primary home, which includes basement apartments with separate entrances and backyard cottages.
The initiative will allow 35 families in total to add an ADU to their home in areas zoned for such dwelling units and is a continuation of the Plus One Accessory Dwelling Unit pilot program launched last year. An online portal will soon be launched to streamline the process of constructing ADUs.
On top of financing the construction, the program also provides technical support, including pre-development and construction resources.
