Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters is hoping the third time is the charm for the Housing Authority to get serious about kicking out tenants who commit crimes on NYCHA property.
Three times since 2015, Peters has suggested that NYCHA tighten up the rules for “permanent exclusion” of tenants who commit serious crimes.
Twice before, NYCHA has rejected his suggestions.
On Friday, he tried again following the arrest of 15 defendants charged in a drug ring out of a public housing apartment at the Sheepshead Bay Houses.
Two of the drug crew’s alleged leaders had been barred previously from NYCHA property for drug dealing and assaulting people in the Sheepshead Bay Houses.
Both had moved back in and operated openly at the sprawling development in the far reaches of Brooklyn. Seven other members of the gang were living in NYCHA apartments without permission.
In both cases, relatives of the convicted dealers were allowed to stay, but were told they faced eviction if they allowed the excluded relative to return. In both cases, that’s what happened, and NYCHA took no action.
The crew even had a NYCHA worker unlock an apartment for them, and two more NYCHA workers were seen buying marijuana out of that apartment while in uniform and on the clock.
“The arrests demonstrated, again, the danger posed to NYCHA tenants by NYCHA’s failure to follow its own rules for enforcing the Permanent Exclusion policies,” Peters wrote in a letter to NYCHA Chairwoman Shola Olatoye.
The letter requested that Olatoye notify the Investigation Department within 30 days about whether she intends to adopt the agency’s recommendations, including more aggressively trying to boot tenants and reviewing all cases in which the NYPD notifies NYCHA of serious criminal activity in public housing.
NYCHA spokeswoman Jasmine Blake said the authority would take a close look at the latest recommendations, and noted, “Working with the NYPD, we reduced crime across NYCHA by 7% last year, with reductions in every borough.”
