"Walking home from law school today, my roommate got hit by a Stuyvesant Town rent a cop in an SUV. He ran a red light to hit her in a cross walk. While she was not seriously injured, he did not stop and ask if she was ok. Instead, he rolled his window down and laughed at her. She got hit right in front of the Stuyvesant Security booth on 14th and A. The security guard in the booth did nothing. He did not even get up from his seat to ask her if she was ok. We live in Stuyvesant Town and called their security department only to be directed to a voice mail box. We called back again to be told that someone would "get back to us." Finally, about an hour after the incident, a lieutenant called my roommate back and told her simply that he would speak to the officer that hit her.
She thought that this was not adequate and he told her that it did not matter because he knew from his 20 years of "police" work that she had no legal claim. Regardless of a legal claim this entire situation was mishandled.
I sent the above email to all the major local news networks because I think that this is absolutely ridiculous. Thank you for the "complaint" section of your site. I used it to contact all the networks. We're not going to rest until we see this rent a cop and the lieutenant fired along with an apology from Stuyvesant Town."
Of all the outrageous things that have been written about on this site, this takes the cake. The idea of being hit by a cop driving a car, then being laughed at and them being told that the victim's concern is unimportant because the lieutenant deems there is no legal claim. What about sex bias as a legal claim? Both of these guys should be fired!
What about filing a complaint at the 13th Pct.?
I agree with Beulah that you ought to file a complaint with the precinct. This incident happened on a public street outside the boundaries of StuyTown, so it seems to fall under the jurisdiction of the NYPD. They have to take a report. If the "security" guard and his lieutenant get away with handling the situation by laughing and hoping it will go away if they obfuscate, next time someone could be more seriously hurt. Their arrogance seems to have no bounds.
Contact the Community Affairs section of the 13th Precinct. They are aware of the problems with ST vehicles on the streets and sidewalks.
Definitely contact police to have a report on record but don't expect much from them . They tend to side with the pseudo cops of STPCV. You should also file complaints with the offices of all local politicians and, if you have a friend who is a lawyer, have him/her send a lawyers' letter to TS
There is a real culture of thuggish lawlessness with these "security" personnel and the golf cart cowboys. MetLife never tolerated that kind of behavior so it must be that TS encourages it - at least tacitly. I think it's time these lowlifes were reined in. Do file a report with the 13th Precinct and don't let them put you off. If you got the name and badge number of the asshole who hit your friend, how about posting it on the net?
Thanks for all of the community support. I do not have the badge number or name because after he was done laughing at me, he drove away. That's right. Rolled up the window and took off. I DO have a description: FAT, middle aged, white male with glasses and facial hair [moustache, maybe more]. If it came down to it, I'm sure both names [the faux-police and his boss] would be easily ascertainable. I will be making a call to the 13th Precinct. Too bad this happens the night before I'm set to leave for the holiday.
That is so sad. There are little in the way of checks and balances when it comes to TS as rental home property managers. We must work together to hold them responsible and accountable for anything that happens on their watch! At the very least, PLEASE do post a description of the "security" (that's where I'll laugh...haha) personnel! (A pic would be super!)
This strains credulity, at least mine. I can sort-of believe the part about the security guard, but I find it hard to believe that a law student let someone who ran a red light and hit her in a crosswalk get away without calling the cops to file an accident report on the spot. This is just basic life stuff, esp when injuries related to car accidents don't always show up right away. I'm imagining the cops will blow this off without a corroborating witness. I'm assuming she got the name of a witness or two, right?
Roundly-- the only other witnesses where security guards, who, as described, acted like nothing happened. I called the stuytown security number to report it as soon as it happened and so on and so fourth as documented by the letter. You don't have to believe the account, but it happened. This is a day where I had a class on how litigous americans are. Please, blame me for wanting to solve the problem locally [and by locally, I mean within stuytown's system].
RK
Since you are a law student I am confident one of your professors would either write a lawyer's letter on your roommate's behalf or suggest someone who could do so. I remember from my law school days (NYU) that most law prefessors aren't too fond of police or pseudo police.
On an unrelated note, for all those who have been complaining about noise issues from the dumpsters and construction in ST and possible legal action ,I refer you to an article from the NY Law Journal of March 11, 2006, titled "Noise and the Warranty of Habitability" available on the web at www.stroock.com/SiteFiles/Pub415.pdf.
I hope the TA leadership will read this too and consider whether a lawsuit is appropriate under the circumstances. Such a lawsuit I think has a better chance of success and of getting media attention than MCI appeals.
Correction- NYLJ March 1, 2006
It's unfortunate that your roommate was hit. Unless it was a serious accident and immediately following it she was hospitalized, saw a doctor and reported it to the police, it's unlikely that anyone (police, lawyer or TS) will pay any attention.
It sounds to me like a minor mishap (bump) and while it's worth getting pissed off about and you should raise hell with TS management, don't try to make a (legal) mountain out of this molehill, or you'll lose a lot of credibility.
I'd use this opportunity to force TS management to instruct their security staff to pay more attention to pedestrian safety when driving around the property.
You should go directly to the precinct and file a complaint. The security officer violated the law by running a red light - I have at least one photo of them doing this is that same location - and by leaving the scene of an accident.
Did you get the vehicle number? Also, there is only one female lieutenant in Security - Deidre Fleming.
In my experience, the security guards have been getting ruder and ruder. I recently had one refuse to buzz me into my building (I had recently gotten a key card and had forgotten it upstairs--the posted sign said that if you didn't have a key card, they'd buzz you in.)
Anyway, he muttered something and hung up me; I called back and he refused to buzz me in--said they'd have to send someone over. So meanwhile, I'm standing there with armloads of groceries, locked out of my home. Luckily a neighbor came by.
I called the supervisor to complain, and was treated with disdain and told that they can handle it whichever way they want (i.e., either buzzing you in or sending someone over.) He didn't seem to understand what the big deal was.
I explained that I pay this man's salary, and he treated me rudely, and he denied me access to my home. All this from a man who was supposed to be protecting me.
Good luck, Road Kill, and Happy Thanksgiving.
As a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor (Tampa, Florida) these actions could constitute (the New York equivalent of): careless driving, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, battery, or even more serious (because of the use of a vehicle), aggravated battery. While you have no damages per se to pursue, I would recommend filing an Internal Affairs report (though I don't know what kind of accreditation or legal status these "rent-a-cops" have). Definitely file a police report to at least document the incident. Somebody has to stand up to these everyday abuses.
While everyone is happy to speculate about this incident, we don't have any real facts to judge. What exactly happened ?, we don't know. I mean, if you were actually hit (impacted) by the front of a vehicle, you don't just get up and walk away.
Sorry, but I'm feeling that there's at least 2 sides to this story, and I'm not excusing anyone's actions or behavior. But regardless of fault, even if there was minimal contact made, the security guard should have been responsible and respectful.
Anonymous@9:04-
Perhaps you've noticed the black hemispheres dotting our landscape. There are cameras behind every one of them. It seems likely that this incident is recorded on TS computers.
From the OP's description, it sounds like a hit and run by a TS employee using TS property. The allegation could be easily disproven if they produce the tapes.
Or has the order already come down from Corporate to destroy the evidence?
Which excuse will TS use to get out of this one?
a) "The camera at that street corner was malfunctioning."
b) "I'm sorry, our backup policy states we retain video recordings for no more than 72 hours."
c) "Due to our tenants' privacy concerns, we decline to make the tapes public at this time. However, an NYPD detective (who just got a call from 1 Police Plaza) has reviewed them and determined there was no wrongdoing."
d) "Our IT department switched contractors and all the data just disappeared. Whoops..."
Because they run 24/7 and generate a huge amount of data, those security camera systems are usually set up to record a sequence of still frames, sometimes several frames a second or even less, instead of the 30 fps of moving video. So even if they revealed the actors in the incident, there's no guarantee that they would show the actual timeline of the event.
And that would be the excuse.
Based on years of experience, THE default position to take with these guys is to avoid the Fat White Ones. Yup. Except Sgt. Grace; he's normal. The kicker is that the adolescent white cowboys are the ones that get the promotions. Facial hair? What shift?