By Alex Robinson
Residents of Bland Houses in Flushing can finally sleep a little easier since 53 security cameras were installed in the development in mid-November.
The installation came after several years of residents’ pleas amid a rash of crime and murders at the housing development.
“It’s a definite relief. It has already taken its effect on the development. We don’t have people staying in the lobbies and stuff like that. It has been a deterrent so far,” said Craig Kinsey, Bland Houses tenant association president.
After a 21-year-old man was murdered at the development in 2011, the New York City Housing Authority said cameras would be installed by spring 2012. The cameras were not installed and by August of that year a 45-year-old man had been shot and killed in the development’s courtyard.
At the time of the second man’s death, NYCHA told TimesLedger Newspapers that while the necessary funds had been allocated for the cameras, the department lacked the money to install a comprehensive security system.
The project was further delayed in 2013, when NYCHA had a problem distributing payments to the project’s vendor, Kinsey said. NYCHA then told Kinsey the cameras would be installed by August 2013, but installation was not completed until the fall because the vendor could not pay its employees during the payment disruption.
City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) first put money aside for the project in 2009. He continued to do so in subsequent years and amassed a total of $600,000 in discretionary funds for the cameras.
“Public safety is a top priority for Council member Koo, so he is proud to have secured funding for new security cameras at the Bland Houses. They will play an important role in deterring criminal activity and apprehending future suspects should a crime occur,” a Koo spokesman said. “The cameras will provide the NYPD with an extra set of eyes to keep the residents of Bland Houses safe and contribute positively to the ongoing security initiative in our community.”
Residents have already noticed a difference as fewer people are loitering in public spaces monitored by the security cameras.
“It was scary,” said Carmen Monttes, who has lived in Bland Houses for 25 years. “There are a lot of people who sell drugs here. With the cameras, I’ll feel more safe.”
Kinsey said there may still be some blind spots the cameras do not reach, but there is leftover funding which he is hoping will be used to get additional cameras.
“So far so good. It took a while, but I’m moving forward and saying it’s effective right now. And that’s just what we want in this development. I am very, very happy,” Kinsey said.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
