NEW YORK—Representatives from three Downtown Manhattan apartment complexes are taking the New York Police Department to court. Their goal: to get the police department to follow the law.
Concerned residents say that the NYPD deceived them about funding for a pending 22,000 square feet high-tech counter-intelligence bunker.
From that bunker, police will relay information to the FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security. In the event of a terrorist attack, the bunker serves as an emergency response center. The operation will be housed in a 8 to15 story building at 109 Park Row linked to the existing headquarters building at One Police Plaza.
In the spring, when the public first got wind of the proposed construction, at least one police official told the residents that the project is just a “renovation.” Community members later found out through the City Records Office that it is a capital project—one that would use public funds—and thus must undergo land use review and prepare an Environmental Assessment Statement in accordance with New York civil practice laws. According to residents, the City has been adamant about not requiring NYPD to comply with either requirement.
Jeanie Chin, Danny Chen, and John Ost, representing their respective apartment complexes on Park Row, announced the lawsuit at a press conference on Sept. 3.
Not only are residents dissatisfied with what they perceive as the NYPD’s disregard for due procedure, they are also displeased by NYPD’s lack of dialogue with the community regarding the project.
Concerned residents have made repeated requests for a meeting with police commissioner Raymond Kelly, but to no avail, according to Chin. The frustrated attempts at dialogue has given Chin the sense that the community can reach Kelly only “through lawsuits and through the media.”
The law and amicability aside, the site selection has some residents scratching their heads.
“Many other agencies have moved to the outer boroughs for reasons of their own security and so they could do their job better,” said Jan Lee, Civic Center Residents Coalition member and local business owner. “If we were to think about where to put One Police Plaza in the 21st century, downtown Manhattan wouldn’t be the place of choice.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who represents Lower Manhattan, spearheaded the lawsuit to reopen Park Row, a major thoroughfare connecting the Civic Center with Chinatown that was closed off due to NYPD security concerns. Silver was quick to point out the traffic implications of a new command center at the proposed location.
“A project such as the command center at One Police Plaza can only exacerbate the traffic on our streets, further lower the air quality and reduce emergency response time,” Silver said.
The proposed plan would put the bunker right next to the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, an icon that’s been deemed terrorist-prone.
“Why would you put a facility that's supposed to respond to such an emergency next to the target of terrorism?” asked State Senator Martin Connor, who represents Lower Manhattan.
