Hoboken Councilman: Here’s How To Pay For Cameras On Waterfront

HOBOKEN, NJ — A Hoboken councilman has an idea about how to pay for security cameras along the city’s waterfront: use some of the “community givebacks” from the proposed Hilton Hotel.

On Tuesday, Mike DeFusco said that he shares the concerns of some residents, who have repeatedly asked for cameras to help safeguard lives along the Hudson River waterfront.

DeFusco referred to Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante’s recent announcement that over the past eight years, about 15 to 20 deceased bodies have been found in the Hudson River near Hoboken.

None have been determined to be homicides, Ferrante said. The chief also debunked online “conspiracy theories” that involve the possibility of a "smiley face killer" in the area.

• See related article: No 'Smiley Face Killer' At Hoboken Waterfront, Police Chief Says

There may be no “killer” on the waterfront, but the number of people dying off the shores of Hoboken is still alarming, DeFusco said.

“While I have the utmost confidence in the Hoboken Police Department and our county law enforcement partners, I do share some of the concerns raised by residents regarding safety on the waterfront,” DeFusco said. “The loss of any life is devastating and the effects can be felt in our community.”

• See related article: Family Left With Heavy Hearts After Veteran Found In Hudson River

A camera system could help address the issue by helping law enforcement to collect evidence during an investigation, he added.

DeFusco said he plans to introduce a resolution during the next City Council meeting that will propose allocating a portion of the “community givebacks” from a proposed development project to pay for a state-of-the-art surveillance system.

That project – which would bring a 20-story Hilton hotel to the city’s waterfront – would have included $4.85 million in givebacks from the developer to the city. Those proposed benefits included funds to revitalize the former Hoboken YMCA, create an endowment at the Hoboken Public Education Foundation, aid three local charter schools and bolster the city’s Affordable Housing Trust.

After a lawsuit questioned the legality of such givebacks, the City Council nixed the current version of the deal, sending Mayor Ravi Bhalla and developer KMS Development Partners back to the drawing board.

It wasn’t immediately clear how DeFusco’s camera proposal would affect the other planned givebacks.

• See related article: Hilton Hotel Proposal Dies, But Hoboken Mayor Not Giving Up
• See related article: Hoboken Hilton Hotel Hits Speedbump, $4M 'Givebacks' Questioned

DeFusco said his resolution will also stress the importance of installing life preservers along the waterfront to assist distressed individuals who may have entered the Hudson River.

All Hoboken police cars currently carry water bags, which can be thrown into the river to rescue distressed people.

“I have spoken to Mayor Bhalla about making funding for these projects a priority, and I am confident that by working together with the City Council we will bring these much-needed safety investments to the waterfront,” DeFusco said.

CAMERAS ON THE WATERFRONT

The cost of buying and installing the equipment isn’t the only expense that comes with having security cameras along the waterfront, however.

“While a citizen can buy a camera and put up in their home for a couple hundred dollars, each government camera, due to needed reception to link to a secured server sometimes over a mile away, which is protected from hacking, and due to evidence laws and OPRA laws, needs retention time and space up to a year in some cases,” Ferrante told Patch earlier this month.

Some cameras can end up costing tens of thousands of dollars each, the police chief said.

“You would need on at least one every .1 mile of the 1.3 miles to possibly capture events there,” Ferrante said.

On Tuesday, Ferrante offered a statement after seeing DeFusco's press release:

"Law enforcement agencies always welcome more funding for cameras because sometimes they are able to answer questions and at times help with identifying suspects in various situations. Cameras used for law enforcement are very expensive. The seven waterfront cameras purchased with a grant in 2013 cost $177,000 and annually we incur some $10-20,000 in data storage costs and maintenance and service agreement costs. That is just for seven cameras. However, that is for the City Administration and City Council to determine when it comes to priorities in a municipal budget."

Ferrante said that people should also be aware that cameras can't stop every situation that develops on the waterfront.

He continued:

"The 15 to 20 incidents of individuals that went into the Hudson River over the past eight years were all proven to be voluntary entries into the river for several reasons including: intoxication, dares, rescues, individuals under the influence of drugs, we had an incident of a woman jumping in the River thinking a teddy bear was a baby, and unfortunately we have had a few that were suicide attempts. The incident with [Jaime Kwebetchou's] death is still under investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutors Office. The other incident was a Jersey City Exchange Place incident where the individual entered the river in Jersey City and was unfortunately found dead there. There is also a report that still shows up on the internet of an individual being thrown into the water during the 2014 Leprecon. Several hours after the incident, it was determined that the individual made a false report to police and voluntarily entered the river."

Ferrante said that there are places in the city with a more urgent need for surveillance cameras.

According to Ferrante:

"Again, while always looking forward to receiving funding for cameras, I have told the City Council in closed session last year, there are four prime locations in the city where I would like to add cameras before adding more on the waterfront due to data analysis of our crimes, volumes and severity of them, discussions with the Hudson County Prosecutors Office and the fact, that while they are terrible incidents when individuals go into the water, it only happens a couple times per year so cost analysis needs to be done."

However, if some agreement is made between the City Council, Bhalla's administration and any other parties involving additional waterfront cameras, Ferrante would "definitely welcome and support it," he said.

BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS

Vijay Chaudhuri, a spokesperson for Bhalla's office, offered Patch the following statement on Tuesday:

"Mayor Bhalla is glad that Councilman DeFusco is concerned about security, and agrees for the need for the appropriate surveillance along our waterfront. However, the councilman is being disingenuous as he and his council colleagues are at the same time making six-figure cuts to the Hoboken Police Department budget, with $10,000 in cuts to service agreements which includes the monitoring of this very type of surveillance technology."

Hoboken Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher offered a different take on the issue.

“I think Councilman DeFusco's idea is a great, and fiscally responsible one as we have to consider new benefits that have a nexus with the hotel project,” Fisher said.

However, she blasted the quote from the mayor’s office as being “dishonest” and an example of “petty politics.”

“The Hoboken Police Department saw a minor cut in funding approved by Chief Ferrante, the majority of which related to the delayed purchase of new motorcycles with the remainder non-specific to be allocated by the HPD,” Fisher stated.

Chaudhuri fired back on Tuesday afternoon:

"If Councilmembers Fisher and DeFusco are suggesting that they did not cut $10,000 in service contracts that support waterfront surveillance technology, they are either ignorant of the budget cuts they proposed or are lying. Either way, it’s very troubling."

Ferrante also challenged Fisher's statement in a series of Twitter posts.

"I always look forward to working with the administration and the every City Council member on all issues, and look forward to on this camera issue," Ferrante stated. "However saying the $105K budget cut came with my approval is inaccurate."

Fisher later clarified her statement, saying that the funding changes were "accepted" by Ferrante.

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