COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY & NEIGHBORHOODS -  October 30, 2018

MEETING AT 7:00 PM, 133 William St., New Bedford, MA - City Council Chamber, Rm 214

AGENDA

 

1. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Gomes, requesting, once more, that any new construction and/or reconstruction of traffic lights installed at main intersections throughout the City be equipped with surveillance and traffic control cameras, this is to include any major road work presently getting started or being worked on throughout the City, projects like Phase II of Route 18 and the Coggeshall Street reconstruction; and further, this should be added to the cost of completing the project. (To be Referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods.) (Ref’d 2/23/17) (2/15/18-tabled) (6/26/18-tabled)

 

INVITEES: Joseph C. Cordeiro, Chief, New Bedford Police Department; Jamie Ponte, Commissioner, Department of Public Infrastructure; Ari J. Sky, Chief Financial Officer; Representative, Mayor’s Office

 

2. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Rebeiro, requesting that the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods invite the Shannon Grant Team to update the Committee Members on their plans to connect with young people in the City to increase engagement and public safety. (To be Referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods.) (Ref’d 8/16/18)

 

INVITEES: Hewitt Joyner, Director, Shannon Grant Program; Renee Ledbetter, Manager, Shannon Grant Program

 

3. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Rebeiro and Abreu, requesting, that the Local and Regional Managers of the King Village Apartments come before the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods to address the progress with mediation between the residents and new owners regarding the many concerns about upkeep, security and policies; and further, that a letter be sent to our local State Delegation inviting them to said meeting as the property is a part of HUD and it appears there had been a breakdown in communication and a lack of attention to this property. (Ref’d 9/28/17)

 

INVITEES: Bobbie Cockburn, Property Manager, King Village Apartments; Joseph C. Cordeiro, Chief, New Bedford Police Department; Danny D. Romanowicz, Commissioner, Department of Inspectional Services; David E. Tille, Regional Administrator, Department of Housing and Urban Development

 

4. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Gomes, requesting that Mayor Mitchell and School Superintendent Durkin put together the cost of installing security in all schools throughout the City, which includes panic buttons, cameras, and evacuation plan; and further, consider hiring armed guards possibly using former retirees from the Police Department and/or Veterans; furthermore, that the School Department install a hotline within the school system for students to report unusual activity, threats or even comments about guns or anything that threaten the wellbeing and safety of all faculty and students, title it “YOU HEAR IT, YOU SEE IT, YOU REPORT IT, TOGETHER WE MAKE OUR SCHOOL SAFE.” (To be Referred to the Mayor, Superintendent Durkin, the School Committee and the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods.) (Ref’d 2/22/18) (3/14/18-returned unsigned by the Mayor) (5/21/18-tabled 90-120 days)

 

INVITEES: Thomas Anderson, Superintendent, New Bedford Public Schools; Joseph C. Cordeiro, Chief, New Bedford Police Department; Andrew O'Leary, Business Manager, New Bedford Public Schools; Representative, Mayor’s Office; Members, New Bedford School Committee

 

Chair Suggests 'No Further Action' and 'Report Out to the Full City Council'

5. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Gomes, Oliveira, Martins, Winterson, Bousquet, Alves, Coelho, Carney, Rebeiro, Council President Lopes and Councillor Morad requesting, that the New Bedford Police Union, Police Chief Provencher and Mayor Mitchell adopt the following wording “Loyalty, Integrity, Courage” uniformly placed on every Police vehicle, which will be a Mission Statement to the people and the City they serve, this will be the first time ever in the City of New Bedford that a statement in wording has ever been placed on Police Cruisers. (Ref’d 9/11/14) (3/16/15-tabled; 9/17/15- tabled; 2/16/16-tabled)

 

6. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Abreu, Bousquet, Oliveira, Martins, Winterson, Coelho and Rebeiro, requesting, that in light of the recent discarded needle epidemic on our City streets, public parks and playgrounds, that the City of New Bedford engage the New Bedford Police Department, New Bedford Health Department, Neighborhoods United, Operation Clean Sweep representatives and representatives of both Southcoast Health System and Hawthorn Medical Associates about forming a “Neighborhood Needle Recovery” program similar to what is currently being instituted in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the “Neighborhood Needle Recovery” Program recovers needles quickly and safely in a number of ways, including, supplying needle drop boxes throughout our Downtown and other high-traffic areas in the City, conducting regular needle sweeps on school grounds and parks and in locations affected by high volumes of discarded needles, recording where and how many needles are discarded in public places, and coordinating needle pick-up with community groups, the purpose of this program is to not only insure that our streets, public parks and playgrounds are safe and secure from potentially dangerous discarded needles, but that we also will have created a system which encourages intravenous drug users to discard needles appropriately. (To be Referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods, the Mayor’s Office, New Bedford Police Chief, Joseph Cordeiro, New Bedford Health Director, Dr. Brenda Weis, Mr. Keith Hovan of Southcoast Health System, James Gularek, CEO, Hawthorn Medical Associates, Mr. Jerry Pinto, President, Neighborhoods United and Ms. Lynn Coish, Operation Clean Sweep.) (Ref’d 9/8/16) (10/3/16-returned unsigned by the Mayor)


7. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Rebeiro, Abreu, Martins and Lopes, requesting, that Dr. Sam Tsemberis, Founder of the “Pathways Housing First Program”, Cecil Hickman, Director of the Dog Tags Program, a Representative of the Mayor’s Office, Health Director Dr. Brenda Weis, Blair Bailey, Tax Title Attorney, and Inspectional Services Commissioner Danny Romanowicz, meet with the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods to discuss the City adopting the “Pathways Housing First Program” in which the City would immediately place every individual identified as homeless, in foreclosed properties that meet the City Ordinances on quality of living with the goal of immediately ending the homeless problem. (Ref’d 11/22/16)


8. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Gomes, requesting, that the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods Chairman and the Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods challenge the Police Department to participate in the National Lip-Sync challenge that has swept America; including our Fire Department, EMS and Emergency Management and more importantly the youth and adults of the community; and further that the Public Safety & Neighborhoods Chair along with any member of the Committee and the Public Relations Officer for the New Bedford Police Department, Lt. Nathaniel Rodriguez, work together to see this becomes a reality and puts the City and New Bedford’s Police Department and the Emergency Personnel in our community in the national spotlight and also the opportunity to show case our community as one; and further, that Cable Access assist in the filming and editing if the City takes the opportunity. (Ref’d 8/16/18)


 

 

 

 

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