New York City Department of Homeless Services Police
| New York City Department of Homeless Services Police | |
|---|---|
| Common name | New York City Homeless Services Police |
| Abbreviation | DHSPD |
| 220x140px
Patch of the New York City Department of Homeless Services Police
|
|
| Motto | Policing With Compassion |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1993 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | City of New York in the state of New York, USA |
 |
|
| Map of New York City Department of Homeless Services Police's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 1,214.4 km² |
| Population | 8,274,527 |
| Legal jurisdiction | New York City |
| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdiction | Buildings and lands occupied or explicitly controlled by the institution and the institution's personnel, and public entering the buildings and precincts of the institution. |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 33 Beaver Street, New York, NY 10004 |
| Special Officers | 400 |
| Agency executive | Joseph A. Garcia, Director of Peace Officers |
| Parent agency | New York City Department of Homeless Services |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 11 Commands |
| Website | |
| NYC Department of Homeless Services Official Site | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The New York City Department of Homeless Services Police (NYC DHS Police) is a law enforcement agency in New York City whose duties are to provide onsite security services to the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), and to enforce state and city laws at all facilities operated by the New York City Department of Homeless Services.
Contents
History
The New York City Department of Homeless Services was created in 1993 and made a mayoral agency in 1999. The Department of Homeless Services Police (DHS Police) was started in 1997 with approximately 65 peace officers assigned to various DHS facilities. By 2002, the DHS Police had over 270 peace officers at DHS facilities.
Prior to 1997, there were peace officers stationed at a facility named Camp Laguardia, which was a homeless shelter in Orange County, New York. This facility was run by the New York City Human Resources Administration prior to 1993 as were all other city operated homeless shelters. The HRA Police was the law enforcement agency at the facility. In 1993 when the Department of Homeless Services was formed, the HRA Special officers at the facility were given DHS Police patches and badges. Approximately 40 peace officers were left at the facility including 1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 6 sergeants, and the rest were Special officers. All other city run shelters were using private security guards. Camp Laguardia had DHS Special officers assigned to it until it closed. In 1997 when it was observed how well and efficient it was to have peace officers in city run shelters, DHS started placing peace officers in other shelters it operated.[1]
Ranks
Officers begin service and training with the rank of Cadet. After completing peace officer training course and successfully completing various Academic, Physical and Tactical tests, officers graduate the DHS Entry Level Training Academy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and are sworn into the rank of Special Officer.
| Title | Insignia | Uniform Shirt Color | Badge design | Badge Color | Badge Numbered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy Chief |
 |
White | Medallion with eagle and star | ||
| Inspector |
 |
Medallion with eagle | silver-gold | ||
| Deputy Inspector |
 |
Laurels and crown with oak leaves | |||
| Captain |
 |
Laurels and crown | |||
| Lieutenant |
 |
Medallion | |||
| Sergeant |
 |
Navy Blue | Shield with eagle | yellow gold | yes |
| Detective (Field Training Officer or Client Relations Team) |
 |
Medallion | |||
| Special Officer |
|
Shield | silver | ||
| Probationary Special Officer |
|
||||
| Recruit Officer |
|
Slate Grey | none | ||
| Title | Insignia | Badge Design |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Commissioner of Security Services & Emergency Operations |
 |
Medallion with eagle and stars |
| Assistant Commissioner of Security Services & Emergency Operations |
 |
Medallion with eagle and stars |
| Director of Peace Officers |
 |
Medallion with eagle and stars |
Facilities patrolled
Currently there are 23 facilities that the DHS Special Officers patrols, including single adult and family shelters.
Manhattan
- Charles Gay Wards Island – 3 Buildings including Charles Gay Assessment Center, Schwartz Men's Shelter and Clarke Thomas Next Step Employment Center
- 30th Street Intake For Homeless Men
- Jack Ryan BRC Shelter
- Teen Impact Center at the "Life" Family Shelter
- Ft. Washington Men's shelter
- Parkview Shelter
Brooklyn
- Auburn Family Residence
- Atlantic Men's Assessment Center (Atlantic Armory)
- Help Women's Center (Brooklyn Women's Shelter)
- Kingsboro Star Men's Shelter
- McGuinness BRC Men's Shelter
- Flatlands Family Residence
- Starbright Family Residence
- Magnolia House Women shelter
- Renaissance Men's shelter
- Camba-Atlantic Men's shelter
- Tillary Women's shelter
- Myrtle Ave Men's Shelter
Bronx
- Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) Office
- Project Renewal Bronx Boulevard Men's Shelter
- Bronx Blvd Shelter
Queens
- Jamaica Family Residence
Training
When the Department of Homeless Services Police was established, the training given to Special officers was a one week peace officer training course. By June 2002, the training course was expanded to four weeks. The current training course is seven weeks long, of which four weeks of training is given at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, two weeks of training is given at the Department of Homeless Services headquarters in Manhattan, and one week of field training is given at Charles Gay Assessment Center located on Wards Island. The training course includes training in law, police science, powers of a peace officer, defensive tactics, community interaction, radio use, arrest procedures, and first aid/CPR, as well as rigorous physical fitness training that including push ups, squats, sit-ups,running and stair Climbs. Re-training is done on a continuous basis at John Jay College and specialized training at the Rockland County Police Academy.
Power and authority
NYC Department of Homeless Services Special Officers are New York State peace officers authorized to make warrantless arrests, issue criminal court summonses and the power to use physical force.
Vehicles
The New York City Department of Homeless Services Police currently utilizes marked vehicles in its fleet including Ford Fusions, Ford Escapes, Ford E-350 vans, Ford Explorers, Chevrolet Express vans, Jeep Cherokees and bikes.[2][3][4][5]
Equipment
NYC Department of Homeless Services Special officers are not authorized the use of firearms on/off duty as per New York State Criminal Procedure Law, though some officers are equipped with a taser[6] and sergeants and above carry pepper spray. Currently, they are equipped with an expandable baton, handcuffs, flashlight, reflective traffic vest, bullet resistant vest, personal handheld metal detectors and a radio that is directly linked to the Central Dispatcher and other officers.
Select officers receive additional training and equipment and are placed in specialty units.[7]
Union representation
New York City Special Officers, which include the DHS Police, the New York City Human Resources Administration Police Department, the New York City Department of Health and Hospitals Police (NYHP), and the New York City Police Department School Safety Division, are represented by Teamsters Local 237, a civil service employee labor union headed by President Gregory Floyd, a former HYHP Captain.[8]
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in New York
- Law enforcement in New York City
- New York City Police Department
- Security police
References
- ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/downloads/pdf/stratplan.pdf About the New York City Department of Homeless Services
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