Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Keith Guerra Aware Of Public Unrest From Brutality Allegations - Says No Maximum Enforcement Policy And Welcomes Civilian Complaint Review Board
Following brutality allegations brought against the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department, the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) unanimously voted to support a community demonstration to "address Public Safety Concerns". The rally will take place at noon tomorrow in the Good Shepherd Plaza (flyer for event is below).
Today, Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department Director Keith Guerra
Image of PSD Director Keith Guerra From RIOC
sends the following message to the Roosevelt Island community.
I am aware of the community unrest regarding an incident which recently occurred on the island. While I am not at liberty to discuss the details of the particular case, due to pending litigation, I do want you to know that I am listening to you, and I want to reassure you that this office does not tolerate excessive use of force nor constitutional rights violations that put members of the public at risk.Here's the flyer for Roosevelt Island community rally seeking "An Accountable Public Safety Department"
The mission of the Public Safety Department is to reduce crime and fear, promote public safety and improve the quality of life for all those who live, work or visit this wonderful island. Sometimes that vision involves finding the median between serving those who call upon us, and the enforcement on those we encounter from those calls for service. Over the last 5 years, we have been able to decrease crime on the island without a "Zero Tolerance" or "Maximum Enforcement" initiative, as some have purported. This decrease has been confirmed by the Commanding Officer of the 114th Pct., who particularly noted that Index Crimes on Roosevelt Island were down by 7 from the prior year. Please note that this is extremely challenging in an already low crime area. Our Community Outreach initiatives of various informational Summits and Safety Days have enabled us to provide added services. Our Community Basketball Games and the Young Adult Program at Sportspark have provided a better connection between our agency and the young adults in the neighborhood. Additionally, we have been able to have approximately 900 Bicycle helmets and 10 Car Seats donated to the community to provide safety for not only the children but for all residents on the island. I realize that there is still more work to be done.
One of the community’s concerns is the establishment of a Civilian Complaint Review Board. The current procedure has been in place long before I arrived. I am willing to work with you and the RIOC Board concerning this. Assemblyman Micah Kellner and I have spoken in the past about his proposed legislation and I have never been opposed to his suggestion. In fact, I welcomed it. Although this will not be an easy process, I believe that if we work together on this issue, we can make a difference.
As for the particular case in question, all I can do is ask for your patience in allowing the due process to take its course. Please reserve your final judgment until that time. I have, in the past, and will continue to work with the community to form a better understanding and working relationship between PSD and the community it serves.
Keith Guerra, Director
Roosevelt Island
Public Safety Department
14 comments :
Guerra statement means nothing to me. It's been more than month sine the incident of Anthony Jones and now he wants to make a statement? He see the community is tired, pissed and organized and are ready to make some real changes is why he's finally speaking up. Mr Genera, why is Torrans still on the job? Why haven't you use suspended him as of yet? I know why, you don't give a dam how US islanders feel about what your officer has done to a resident of R.I. all you care about is your job but we want you OUT!!! Your time is up??
Keith Guerra, Director, Roosevelt Island Safety Department, The residents of Roosevelt Island appreciate your taking the time to report on the Island's dropping crime rate as confirmed by the NYPD and to explain what your department has been doing to create an atmosphere of mutual respect between PSO's and the Island's residents. Over the years though, despite your department's initiatives, PSO's have collected a great number of allegations of abusive behavior towards residents, including the latest one in which a young resident was brutally beaten and sent to the hospital with a punctured lung. As a result of all of the allegations against the Roosevelt Island Safety Department residents are seeking to change the department's culture of control through force. The department needs to be re-organized with a new chief and a team of officers that will provide security and safety without abusing or injuring Island residents. To help us accomplish Mr. Guerra, you must submit your resignation.
Years of abuse by RI Public Safety Officers has finally culminated in the demand for the resignation of the Public Safety director. If you read his pr release you will probably think, now there's a reasonable guy. Don't be fooled.
—Keith Guerra, Director, Roosevelt Island Safety Department, The residents of Roosevelt Island appreciate your taking the time to report on the Island's dropping crime rate as confirmed by the NYPD and to explain what your department has been doing to create an atmosphere of mutual respect between PSO's and the Island's residents. Over the years though, despite your department's initiatives, PSO's have collected a great number of allegations of abusive behavior towards residents, including the latest one in which a young resident was brutally beaten and sent to the hospital with a punctured lung. As a result of all of the allegations against the Roosevelt Island Safety Department residents are seeking to change the department's culture of control through force. The department needs to be re-organized with a new chief and a team of officers that will provide security and safety without abusing or injuring Island residents. To help us this accomplish Mr. Guerra, you must submit your resignation.
Years of abuse by RI Public Safety Officers has finally culminated in the demand for the resignation of the Public Safety director. If you read his pr release above you will probably think—sounds like a reasonable guy. Don't be fooled by a seemingly calm demeanor . Guerra doesn't belong here on Roosevelt Island.
—Keith Guerra, Director, Roosevelt Island Safety Department, The residents of Roosevelt Island appreciate your taking the time to report on the Island's dropping crime rate as confirmed by the NYPD and to explain what your department has been doing to create an atmosphere of mutual respect between PSO's and the Island's residents. Over the years though, despite your department's initiatives, PSO's have collected a great number of allegations of abusive behavior towards residents, including the latest one in which a young resident was brutally beaten and sent to the hospital with a punctured lung. As a result of all of the allegations against the Roosevelt Island Safety Department residents are seeking to change the department's culture of control through force. The department needs to be re-organized with a new chief and a team of officers that will provide security and safety without abusing or injuring Island residents. To help us this accomplish Mr. Guerra, you must submit your resignation.
It's very simple. You get what you pay for. When you pay officers security guard salary,that's what you will get. Professionalism,integrity,honor,courtesy,they all come with a price tag. You need better hiring practices and standards. When you have higher standards,its cost more.
This was on Facebook today. Let the next Public Safety regime follow suit and support the right of all the kids on this island to have a safe and wonderful childhood without the fear of this obnoxious and poisonous atmosphere! We need reassurance that the mission of our private security group must understand that first and foremost they are here to help us preserve and enhance the quality of life we pay for. Yes...we not only pay taxes but part of our rent or monthly maintenance, and they work for us. We are paying their salaries. Perhaps we need to establish an escrow account and start withholding the amount of our rent/maintenance that goes to support them...are there any lawyers out there who may be willing to do that for this community? The crime rate will not be an issue if their orders will be to help our residents, not bully them. This is not a high crime, gang riddled community. Yes, there are some wise-ass kids, but with the right direction and more realistic and positive interaction and communication between PSD and the community most of those kids can be channeled into positive behavior without being bullied or abused. I've seen some PSD officers who won't even say hello or acknowledge residents who greet them. In summary, we need to rid our community of the vigilantes and bullies who, with Keith Guerra, are part of our security force that we are paying for. We also need for RIRA to create a mission statement about what PSD is supposed to do for our residents and present it to RIOC!
Someone should start an online petition demanding the dismissal of Guerra and the reform of PSD, with a link to fb. Also, let's face it - the resident RIOC directors are doing nothing to even show minimal support of residents' justifiable PSD complaints. That means they are not responsive to their constituents. So much for democracy on RI: We have resident directors in RIOC, but they have done nothing about the scandal that is Guerra and his PSD. So let's start another on-line petition calling for the dismissal of the resident RIOC directors. Both the RIOC Board and PSD need to be reformed. The Island is stuck in a Catch-22: Complain to PSD, and your complaint goes to RIOC, which then backs PSD up. Complain to RIOC, and your complaint goes back to PSD, and from there, nowhere. One organization passes the buck to the other - no-one accepts responsibility/accountability. Each points the finger to the other as being "in charge". On-line petitions calling for the removal of Guerra and the resident RIOC directors can be presented to RIOC, the Governor and the US Attorney's office, conveying the community's disapproval of the brutal PSD tactics and policies and resident RIOC directors sitting on their hands for the past several years as police brutality complaints continue to pile up, may cause the Governor to take notice of the deplorable PSD situation on RI and the US Attorney to investigate the PSD/RIOC mess.
You can hire anyone as Director of the department. You people will not be satisfied. What they need to do is fire the smuck officers who were there prior to Guerra. Get rid of that Captain Suarez for starters. Does anyone even know who she is?
they only want them to be police when it helps them and security when they want to belittle them. if you want security, don't call the psd office for assistance.
Higher standards do not always have a huge price tag. You need a good hiring practice set in place and then you need to follow it through with even better training and exaninations to weed out the others during initial training. The weakest links go away. I dont know their hiring practices but I noticed they do not hold examinations for the job.
Perhaps examinations and psychological evaluations are needed for new hires?. Again I appologize if they already hold these exams as I would assume so. I am simply commenting on tid bits I read.
Just going to point something out. You want someone to get fired but dont know who she is?. Interesting.
No, I am merely asking if anyone knows who she is. I make that statement because no one ever sees her yet she works the 9-5 and from what I hear has no formal police training, has never actually patrolled the streets, has self appointed herself up the ranks, favors women in the department and doesn't even fit in her uniform.
i believe she's related to Guerra. He also has his God son working there as well. and that's the problem.
The only gang on Roosevelt Island is PSD. Gangs beat, dam near kill/kill people. They have drive by's and rob people everyday not sometimes but everyday and that's PSD.
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