SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

Taino Towers
Crystal Ballroom

Friday
April 23, 2004
11am - 1pm

240 East 123rd Street
4th Floor
New York, NY 10029

Please see the reverse side for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony, and for a description of the bills which will be discussed at the hearing.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

Recently a videotape capturing a suicide in a Bronx housing project was distributed to a pornographic web site. The videotape was part of NYCHA's VIPER program, whereby the New York City Police Department (NYPD) monitors surveillance cameras in participating developments 24 hours a day.

1. How many housing authority projects participate in the VIPER program? What procedures are in place to maintain the privacy of those housing authority residents captured on videotape?
2. What procedures are in place regarding the maintenance and storage of the videotapes at each of the housing authorities? How long is information stored? Who has access to the videotapes? How did this particular videotape end up on a website?

NYPD's Role

1. What is the New York City Police Department's role? What could be done to ensure NYCHA tenants' privacy is not violated in the future?

NYCHA's Role

1. What is NYCHA's role in maintaining the VIPER videotapes? Are videotapes used as part of NYCHA surveillance in any circumstances other than in the VIPER program? If so, under what circumstances are they used?
2. What other records does NYCHA maintain regarding tenants? How are these records maintained and what procedures are in place to protect the privacy and confidentiality of tenants?

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on Maintenance Of Public Records At NYCHA are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Caryn Canfield
Committee Assistant
Assembly Committee on Housing
Room 513 - Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
Email: canfiec@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4355
Fax: (518) 455-4128

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required: