New York City Department of Sanitation Police
| New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit) | |
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 Shield of the New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit) | |
| Common name | NYC Dept of Sanitation Police Enforcement Unit, DSNY Police |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1936 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | New York, New York, United States |
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| Map of New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit)'s jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 468.9 square miles (1,214 km2) |
| Population | 8,274,527 |
| Legal jurisdiction | New York City |
| General nature | • Local civilian agency |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, NY |
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| Special Officers | Aprox 70 Members as of 2018 |
| Commissioner responsible |
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| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | New York City Department of Sanitation |
| Website | |
| DSNY Official Site | |
The New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit) is the law enforcement arm of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), primarily responsible for regulating, enforcing and investigating sanitation-related offenses within the City of New York.
Overview
The New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit) comprise approximately 70 members including officers, lieutenants, inspectors, and chiefs. Members are drawn from sanitation workers, supervisors, superintendents, and chiefs who have volunteered to undertake law enforcement duties. They retain their original civil service title, depending on their rank while assigned to the unit.
Training and Typical Equipment
New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit) recruits are required by the New York State Municipal Peace Officer Training Council to undergo and pass a 16-week training course before they become peace officers within the Sanitation Law Enforcement Division. The training given in this course includes training in penal law, police science, discipline, powers of a peace officer, radio use, defensive tactics, unarmed and armed self-defense, physical training, chemical training, handcuffing techniques, and arrest procedures, among other subjects.
Upon successfully graduating, the New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit) grants trainees peace officer status and are issued a handgun permit by the New York City Police Department , and all officers use handcuffs, pepper spray, expandable ASP baton, radios, and other related law enforcement and public safety equipment. Once assigned, officers undergo 400 hours of on-the-job field training with experienced personnel before being issued permanent assignments.
All officers also undergo biannual continuing education training to re-qualify on equipment and learn about changes in law and department procedures.
Power and authority
Officers designated by the New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Unit) are peace officers with very limited authority and powers as provided for in New York State Criminal Procedure Law Section 2.10, subsection 59. They enforce sanitation laws and strive to improve the quality of life in NYC, Quality of life enforcement focuses on littering, public urinating, failure to remove canine waste, improper disposal of solid waste, and illegal dumping just to name a few.
Other enforcement operations include enforcing theft of recycling laws, regulating and enforcing private transfer stations with in the city, and the transportation of waste with in the city. They can also issue various summons which include Environmental Control Board summonses, parking summonses, NYS vehicle and traffic law summonses and NYC Criminal Court summonses.
Operations
Working both in uniform and in plainclothes, officers have responsibilities ranging from summonsing residents for mixing recyclable and non-recyclable trash to investigating the illegal dumping of refuse, commercial and toxic waste. One notable example occurred in 1996, when Environmental Enforcement Officers assisted the New York City Police Department with investigating the death of a sanitation worker who was killed when he was struck in the face by deadly hydrofluoric acid that was mixed with ordinary garbage. The suspect was arrested by detectives from the New York City Police Department for aggravated manslaughter.
Divisions
There are a number of unit within the New York City Department of Sanitation (Police Enforcement Units), with each unit handling different law enforcement functions:
- The Citywide Illegal Dumping Task Force headed by Inspector Paul Mazzilli
- The Environmental Enforcement Unit – Assigned to the enforcement of the illegal transportation, removal, and disposal of asbestos, low-level radioactive, medical and hazardous waste.(Under the Auspice of Director Milora)
- Permit and Inspection Unit – Handles enforcement of NYC Rules and Regulations of permitted transfer stations, the detection and closure of illegal transfer stations, as well as seizing and impounding the equipment of such unlawful activity, and citywide private carter truck enforcement.
NYC Sanitation also has workers assigned to the New York City Business Integrity Commission and to New York City Emergency Management.[1][2]
See also
References
- ↑
- ↑ "NYC Emergency Management". nyc.gov.
