[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6547378,"mediaKeyId","3639769-890815f92608202b8506858aa9370552","parentId",3639769,"title","Public testimony highlights: Legal Aid bargaining, EMS pay parity push, delivery workers oppose e‑bike criminalization and PATH funding cuts","audioSeconds",1247,"startMs",14929000,"endMs",16176000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3639769-890815f92608202b8506858aa9370552&start=14929&end=16176","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3639769-890815f92608202b8506858aa9370552/thumbnail_14929000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6547378/New-York/Public-testimony-highlights-Legal-Aid-bargaining-EMS-pay-parity-push-delivery-workers-oppose-ebike-criminalization-and-PATH-funding-cuts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547378-62bd482f16c406e6e5f1302491e52e25/orig.mp4?Expires=1775406595&Signature=TWFjZ8I4busgv7Z9823vNYIgWF-tkzRdqIcQQswy46G7mREzGxNp3Xj~lXgkb2SP2oqE0lIAkdGWXTpZQIE7bacevA0rjECqS98QqJYsNXWJXmC6CGPXWZ30DrQuUCajmjjleteb8ChSueoIgCB-xLJLhqkcEs1CNyOrYQ06JwyHNpcvg95baG05iHj44orqRm0Acvv~nErOiafAVjHAWCMW1pwNcrjg11aFggaNzdtKFv4lAoc-orjN0mcqHZKhikHm7fFsqAVjlMXWf25x5BTPSycwJZkIok38STG0sl5oRgfLNa6ph~-CJuZ2ttPZOC4Nt1xT2CShVtpe8LjLdw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of New York, NY","date","2025-05-29T20:27:04Z","article","Members of the public used the executive‑budget hearing to press for funding or policy changes across criminal‑justice and public‑safety topics.

Legal Aid Society union and public defenders

Jane Fox, chair of the Legal Aid Society Attorneys Union (UAW Local 2325), said bargaining has stalled and warned members were prepared to withhold labor if the employer did not present an economic offer before the contract expiration. “By our employer's estimate, this council needs to increase funding to the legal aid society by at least $74,000,000 to make sure our demands at the bargaining table are met,” she said. Union speakers argued that current public‑defender salaries lag comparable cities and that attrition is reducing experienced counsel on felony and misdemeanor dockets.

EMS staffing and pay parity

Multiple EMS speakers asked the Council for immediate action on workforce stability and pay parity. Michael Greco, vice president of Local 2507, and several FDNY EMT and paramedic speakers called for restoring or adding $50 million to support ambulances, training and recruitment and for pay parity with other uniformed first responders; they cited high attrition and heavy overtime. NYPD and Council testimony earlier in the hearing confirmed system pressure from higher call volumes.

Delivery workers and e‑bike enforcement

Delivery workers and organizers said the NYPD's decision to issue C‑summonses for specified e‑bike infractions will disproportionately affect low‑wage, immigrant couriers. William Medina and other Deliveristas Unidos representatives called for decriminalization and urged the city to invest instead in bike infrastructure, designated loading zones, battery‑swap stations and stronger labor protections. They said early enforcement already produced thousands of citations and risks ICE consequences for undocumented workers.

Hate‑prevention funding and community violence intervention

Anchors and subgrantees of the PATH (Partners Against the Hate) initiative and anti‑violence groups described recent cuts and a rescinded federal DOJ grant that reduced funding for several community violence intervention (CVI) programs. Testimony asked the council to restore the $30,000 anchor funding cuts and provide additional city investment for immigrant‑serving, language‑accessible anti‑hate and anti‑violence services.

911 and other operational testimony

A 9‑1‑1 operators’ union representative described ongoing short staffing and long tours; public comment and council interchange with NYPD earlier in the hearing documented a 202‑position shortfall in the police communications PCT title (budgeted 1,412; staffed 1,210 at the time of testimony). Witnesses urged faster hiring timelines and improved training and mental‑health supports.

Ending

Speakers from multiple sectors asked the council to treat this budget cycle as an opportunity to shore up public defenders, stabilize EMS staffing and avoid criminalizing low‑wage delivery workers while boosting community‑based violence prevention.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","🔴 LIVE: Committees on Finance/Public Safety FY26 Executive Budget Hearing","oneSentenceSummary","Public testimony at the budget hearing highlighted four urgent local issues: Legal Aid Society contract bargaining and a call for roughly $74M in additional funding, EMTs pressing for pay parity and $50M for EMS, delivery workers opposing criminal summonses for e‑bike infractions, and community groups asking the council to restore PATH anti‑hate funding and support community violence intervention.","taxTitle","New York City Council, New York City, New York County, New York","taxId",77593,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6547382,"Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice defends reentry, ATI and indigent defense increases; council presses for contract staffing and POA funding details",1057,12108000,13165000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3639769-890815f92608202b8506858aa9370552&start=12108&end=13165","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3639769-890815f92608202b8506858aa9370552/thumbnail_12108000.jpg","/articles/6547382/New-York/Mayors-Office-of-Criminal-Justice-defends-reentry-ATI-and-indigent-defense-increases-council-presses-for-contract-staffing-and-POA-funding-details","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547382-73b93dcb40715c7fc1a70963cf6ba27b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775406595&Signature=NlelNrwNHxK~URiClgLuqx6b0-EuA0ZczsFWrfSR4VidnZgXoSvdPV6~idClJuZXlg5uCUIxv3Ej7HDIjgGcggm0pGmH9TAIY2BcpeVAjYCfONrqi9GxEZlEePsiQnmhr2MB3aVST77hYevr2VkLyWTzQ~fg22DIHvM6r-Rf6hx~l0noEmfQPTAOcESkcBFf58L-w-E6~nd9mDHBCIsAJMTBZE~6Qiaw1HKCInm6QfvEzW4KMaj~sJunBG9fvsa0dx98bBoleGXNYT9O7ZlbpXS7OkEQA5jtrqf-wGxukavB7623c1Efyev0Z2iYdFTP428QIpR9aZY7Sz2HkLIyQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Diana Logan, director of the mayor’s office of criminal justice (MOCJ), described the office’s FY26 executive budget and priorities at the City Council hearing, emphasizing reentry programs, alternatives to incarceration (ATI) and legal services funding.

Logan framed MOCJ as a policy and contracting agency that now “is an agency on the rise,” saying MOCJ’s work spans reentry housing, supervised release and pilot programs that pair intensive case management with clinical services for high‑need participants. “We don't want anyone spending 1 day more or 1 day less in jail than necessary,” Logan told the committees.

Key MOCJ budget items discussed:

- Public defense: The executive plan includes a $20 million baselined increase for indigent defense support; Logan and the agency’s CFO said the funding is intended to help providers add trial and appellate capacity while MOCJ and OMB work with providers on how the funds should be allocated in practice. Council members asked why salary uses were being limited and pressed for clearer flexibility for providers negotiating contracts and labor agreements.

- Alternatives to incarceration and reentry: MOCJ reported ATI at roughly $54 million in FY26 and reentry funding at about $31.7 million. The office said the earlier FY25 restorations allow it to maintain provider services and that it is monitoring federal funding risks that could reduce Medicaid or other assistance used by providers.

- Supervised release and intensive case management: MOCJ proposed a $9.1 million new need to continue and expand an intensive case management pilot that augments supervised release for high‑need individuals. The pilot operates in Manhattan and Queens and provides experienced clinical staff to work with a smaller caseload per clinician.

- Contracts capacity: MOCJ said it now has 11 staff dedicated to contracts and procurement, with an additional onboarded staffer and one vacancy under recruitment, and that it expects to register FY25 indigent legal contracts on time and to repeat that performance in FY26. MOCJ said it will provide a fuller roster of titles for transferred positions and the 14 positions moved from other agencies into MOCJ.

Council questions and follow‑up requests

Council members asked for more transparent financial line items and asked MOCJ to publish dollar totals tied to the 2019 Points of Agreement (POA) updates; MOCJ said it will provide funding figures in the next POA update and committed to more frequent (monthly) POA postings. Council members also asked how Littmann Commission recommendations were considered; MOCJ said many Littmann priorities overlap with current MOCJ and Department of Correction projects and that weekly cross‑agency meetings were underway on case processing and other reforms.

MOCJ said it was monitoring federal grant uncertainty and working with the Office of Management and Budget to provide flexibility where possible to help legal providers cover salary pressures related to bargaining and retention efforts. The agency noted that some federal DOJ and DHS grant conditions are shifting and could impact long‑running multi‑year awards used by anti‑violence and reentry programs.

Ending

Logan concluded by asking the council to view the budget items as investments in community safety and services, and MOCJ committed to supplying additional breakdowns on contract staffing, POA finances, and the supervised release pilots that council members requested.","MOCJ Director Diana Logan told the council the agency is now a standalone department, outlined FY26 funding for alternatives to incarceration, reentry and public defense, and said the office will provide financial and timeline detail on Points of Agreement and supervised‑release expansions the council requested.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6547388,"NYPD testifies on hiring, overtime and new quality-of-life enforcement as council presses on 9-1-1 staffing and e-bike policy",1433,1197000,2630000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3639769-890815f92608202b8506858aa9370552&start=1197&end=2630","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3639769-890815f92608202b8506858aa9370552/thumbnail_1197000.jpg","/articles/6547388/New-York/NYPD-testifies-on-hiring-overtime-and-new-quality-of-life-enforcement-as-council-presses-on-9-1-1-staffing-and-e-bike-policy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6547388-f2f53c83d10360017df993f2f2d9e8e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775406595&Signature=A-c3iNZO5uawsuhx~r8u0kh1HSQLcEh00LNOXxY3NDxcqKdkpzOf81s6ICttNBVsifwCbBZQtrK2zHS-9MwdSDOegJx42tKYBZFP~x2-aRq7v4EuyiOuR6l0nvzLaxr8ookGqooxOxBRvVynawjUE~C56G6B4nuZgvxyapTAtxSL0dwXHEFRCJ7EvLoGfQnRtMH0BaJb~puLqBYR249-DXdMPYqb4~ee79YGFiTiniuj-dE2Kq2AZcHV829EiE-2cJhkvuG1G4CwO9S19GQoGOat0rfmAymGfC4flhh3HPWWzWf8IlVnOTDiVx4vsMWQDfbnAcCzB3TYGFjHbrD4Yg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioner Jessica Tisch told the New York City Council during fiscal year 2026 executive budget hearings that “major crime in New York City continues to go down in our precincts, on our subways, and in our housing developments,” while outlining recruitment, overtime and enforcement initiatives planned for the coming year.

The testimony Friday at City Hall focused on how the NYPD plans to convert unfilled salary funding into personnel, reduce overtime, and expand new enforcement steps — notably a mid‑April quality‑of‑life division and a move to issue criminal (C) summonses for a defined set of e‑bike violations. Council members repeatedly pressed the department for precise timelines and staffing commitments on 9‑1‑1 operators, bomb squad vacancies and capital projects such as encrypted radio migration and firing‑range reconstruction.

Tisch framed the department’s approach as a mix of crime‑fighting successes and new responses to rising community complaints about disorder. “We just had the safest Memorial Day weekend in terms of gun violence that New York City has ever seen,” she said, and described a “summer violence reduction plan” with “70 summer zones covering 57 different commands across all 5 boroughs.” She said the plan deployed about 1,500 uniformed officers on foot and reported early reductions in robbery, burglary and subway crime in those zones.

At the same time, Tisch emphasized non‑shooting quality‑of‑life work. The NYPD launched a six‑precinct quality‑of‑life division in mid‑April “to clear blocked driveways and bike lanes, settle noise complaints, and keep our public spaces safe and orderly.” Tisch cited short early results: more than 200 illegal mopeds seized, about 440 encampments cleared and 50 smoke shops padlocked during initial enforcement sweeps.

Council members used the hearing to press several recurring budget and operations issues:

- Overtime: Tisch and the department said an overtime management plan instituted in January has produced month‑over‑month reductions and that the FY25 year‑end overtime projection is now about $1.1 billion (down from earlier projections). The department said the executive plan adds $301.8 million to address a FY25 structural overtime shortfall and $21.1 million for structural technology needs.

- Hiring and vacancies: Tisch said hiring has picked up after eligibility changes reduced required college credits for recruits from 60 to 24; she said more than 12,600 new filers have registered for the police exam and several large classes were planned. Council members pressed for timelines to restore budgeted headcount; the department said OMB projections indicate headcount could be restored by FY27 while the department aims to reach 35,000 uniformed officers.

- 9‑1‑1 staffing: Council members repeatedly asked about 9‑1‑1 operator vacancies. Tisch said the budgeted FY26 headcount for police communications (PCTs) is 1,412 and current staffing was 1,210 — a gap of 202 vacancies. “The members of our communications division, our 911 call takers are a lifeline for New Yorkers, and every call needs to be answered without delay,” she said. Later in the hearing she added, “The average 911 call is answered in less than 6 seconds,” and said the department is working with the union (DC 37) and changing management oversight to reduce calls that roll to an audio message when lines are busy.

- E‑bike enforcement and legal limits: Tisch described the policy shift that led officers to issue criminal (C) summonses for six listed e‑bike violations (reckless driving, operating an e‑bike under the influence, wrong‑way riding, disobeying red lights, disobeying traffic controls and failure to stop at stop signs). She told the council that under current law B summonses have limited effect for unlicensed e‑bikes and that a C summons is “the only option that we have available to us under the law as it currently exists.” Council members and public witnesses argued the move risks criminalizing low‑wage and immigrant workers and urged legislative changes such as licensing and more designated delivery infrastructure.

- Less‑lethal equipment and surveillance: Chief training and procurement officials said the department leases tasers on a five‑year lifecycle ($11 million a year) and is testing newer models after reviewing body and camera footage. The FY26 capital plan includes funds for encrypted radio migration (the department said 23 of 36 zones, or 63.9%, were encrypted and full migration is projected within one year) and $3.0 million for ARGUS camera boxes (about $45,000 per box, two cameras per box); the department said placement is based on data from the Crime Prevention Division.

Council members asked for follow‑up data and scheduling details: enrollment targets for additional academy classes, the timetable for full radio encryption, the schedule for pilot expansion of quality‑of‑life teams to other precincts, and the NYPD’s list of precincts slated to receive ARGUS boxes.

Ending

The session closed with the council directing follow‑up: members requested written answers on precise vacancy counts, the spending breakout for terminal‑leave payments, a precinct‑by‑precinct list of ARGUS camera placements, and the schedule for quality‑of‑life team rollouts. The NYPD said it would provide those figures and continue discussing long‑term legislative solutions for e‑bike regulation with the council.","Commissioner Jessica Tisch told the City Council at budget hearings that major crime is down, the department has launched a six‑precinct quality‑of‑life pilot and tightened overtime control, while council members pressed the NYPD on 9‑1‑1 vacancies, recruits and its new policy issuing criminal summonses for certain e‑bike offenses.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Public testimony highlights: Legal Aid bargaining, EMS pay parity push, delivery workers oppose e‑bike criminalization and PATH funding cuts

Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice defends reentry, ATI and indigent defense increases; council presses for contract staffing and POA funding details

NYPD testifies on hiring, overtime and new quality-of-life enforcement as council presses on 9-1-1 staffing and e-bike policy