CITY AND STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS UNITE AGAINST HIT & RUNS WITH LEGISLATION CREATING HIT AND RUN ALERT SYSTEMS
City Legislation Introduced by CM Rodriguez & 11 Co-Sponsors, State Legislation Introduced by NYS Senator Marisol Alcantara & NYS Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, Would Create Alert Systems to Catch Hit & Run Drivers
Standing Alongside Families of Loved Ones Killed in Hit and Run Crashes, Officials Continued Call for an End to Hit and Runs in New York
New York, NY -- Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, NYS Senator Marisol Alcantara and NYS Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa & Council Members Van Bramer, Levine, Gentile, Crowley and others joined family members of loved ones killed in hit and run crashes, including family of DJ Jinx Paul, who was killed last December, to unveil city and state legislation to create a hit and run alert systems. The group detailed the legislation, aiming to increase the number of hit and run drivers arrested and convicted by police and district attorneys in NYC and across the state.
Following a year where 39 people were killed by hit and run drivers in NYC and over one per week were killed or faced life threatening injuries, legislators have called for a crackdown on this behavior, with a greater focus from the NYPD to make arrests and secure convictions. The city legislation will create a hit and run alert under the auspices of a city agency determined by the mayor, to be distributed via text, email, through media and more.
The New York State legislation, introduced yesterday by NYS Senator Marisol Alcantara and NYS Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, creates a similar statewide bill to help local precincts across New York track down hit and run drivers, with more eyes and ears on the street.
The bills are modeled off of a similar program in California, known as "Yellow Alert," began in January of 2016, in response to poor arrest rates for hit and run crashes. New York City's arrest rate on hit and run crashes that result in death or serious injury hovers just over 50%. However, that number falls to just 8% when injuries from hit and run crashes are not considered life-threatening.
"Drivers flee the scene of a serious crash because they think they can escape the consequences," said Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez. "This legislation will put more eyes and ears on the street to hold drivers accountable. We have to send a clear message that hit and runs will not be tolerated in New York City. I'm glad my colleagues at the state level feel the same and are taking on this fight in Albany as well."
"First, I want to extend the deepest sympathy to the families of those lost in hit-and-run crashes," said NYS Senator Marisol Alcantara. "People who are so callous that they would hurt or kill someone in their car, only to escape the law and the grieving families of their victims, need to be held accountable. Yesterday, I introduced a bill in the Senate that would create a 'Yellow Alert' system statewide to alert drivers about hit-and-run crashes in their areas, a measure that will help the community work together to bring such problem drivers to justice."
"Hit and runs happen way too frequently in our State, City, and local streets and we often learn about them in the news and media coverage hours later," said
NYS Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa. "Time is essential when it comes to pursuing justice for these heinous acts. Implementing a hit and run alert system will allow the general public to be watchdogs for those who commit this type of crime. In this modern era of smart portable devices, instant alerts will contribute to valuable information that can lead to the capture of those who perpetuate such crime. Law enforcement groups will have better tools and a faster response to make sure that hit and runs do not go unresolved."
"When NYPD makes an arrest in fewer than ten percent of hit and runs involving an injury, it's clear that we need a serious re-evaluation of how we pursue these cases," said
City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. "It is heartless to hit a person with your car and leave them in the street to die, rather than stop to call 911 and possibly save a life. This legislation will give the city better tools to track down the perpetrators of these heinous crimes and bring the criminals to justice."
"Hit and runs occur far, far too often in our city," said
Council Member Mark Levine. "In the last three years New York has made incredible progress in making our streets safer through the Vision Zero program, however hit and runs remain a serious issue plaguing countless victims and their families. Our city is long overdue for a reward system to help catch hit and run offenders, and I thank my colleague Councilmember Rodriguez for his leadership on this issue."
"As most of us are attached to our smartphones, computers, and tapped into the 24/7 news cycle, a hit-and-run alert system is a logical and effective tool to track down the alleged assailant," said
Council Member Vincent Gentile. "I commend Council Member Rodriguez for drafting this legislation and I am proud to be a prime co-sponsor as we continue to tackle this growing issue."
"This hit and run legislation is common sense policy that will quickly apprehend perpetrators, and bring peace to families all across the city," said
Council Member Elizabeth Crowley. "My thanks to Council Member Rodriguez for his leadership and bringing attention to this citywide issue."
"New York City must take urgent action in 2017 to improve investigations so we can make sure drivers who leave crash scenes are brought to justice quickly," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "We thank Council Member Rodriguez for this legislation to create an alert system, and for his tireless dedication to ending the scourge of hit-and-run as part of the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in New York City."
Families for Safe Streets member Allen Sneed said
, "The week before Christmas my daughter was hit by a reckless mini-van driver while walking across Fordham Road. The driver fled while my daughter ended up in the hospital for nearly a month and is facing many months more of rehabilitation. Luckily she was walking with friends and family, but without them she might have been left alone on the street by the fleeing driver. Council Member Rodriguez' proposed alert system will improve NYPD investigations, so other New Yorkers who have been injured or had a loved one killed by a hit-and-run driver can have a chance to get some measure of justice."
