Day: November 26, 2024

Need assistance in the subway? Don’t count on the MTA’s “Help Points” subway intercom system to be useful, a report released Tuesday found.

More than 1,000 emergency calls made through the agency’s Help Points system went unanswered last year, according to the MTA’s inspector general’s office report about the system published on Nov. 26.

In addition, the report found that a “significant number” of emergency calls experienced lengthy delays before being answered by NYC Transit employees.

The report shows that riders whose emergency calls were, in fact, answered were calling to report matters such as an injured passenger, a customer being threatened or harassed, or an unauthorized person on the tracks.

“The Help Point system is important for public safety, and an immediate response to genuine emergency calls is crucial,” said Daniel Cort, the MTA’s inspector general. “This system is in need of significant improvements, and I appreciate NYC Transit’s cooperation with our audit and acceptance of our recommendations.”

The Help Points system, launched in 2018 at a cost of about $252.7 million, features a network of more than 3,000 intercoms across all 472 subway stations. The public can press a button to request information or report an emergency.

Pranksters thrive with Help Points

The inspector general’s report covered all Help Points calls made from May to October 2023. Of the 140,698 total calls, about 28% were from customers in need of assistance.

Another 22% were calls made by agency personnel testing the system, and the remaining 50% were deemed “mischief.”

Riders use the Help Points intercom by pressing a red button on the kiosks to report an emergency or a green button to ask for information. The report found that NYC Transit employees did not prioritize emergency calls over information calls, although an MTA spokesperson said emergency calls are immediately transmitted over a shared communication line with police so that the message is relayed in real-time.

Cort identified several causes for unanswered calls and delays in answering calls — including a technical glitch, lack of policies and procedures and staffing level fluctuations.

In the report, the inspector general recommends reprogramming Help Point to prioritize emergency calls in emergency situations.

“If that is not feasible, develop a means to prioritize emergency calls over information calls by using the hold feature, and train the call center operators accordingly,” the report states.

According to the inspector general, NYC Transit agreed to the emergency response recommendation and other recommendations to reduce the volume of unnecessary calls and improve call center operations and oversight.

Reached for comment, MTA spokesperson Meghan Keegan sent this statement to amNewYork Metro:

“Our top priority is always ensuring customer and employee safety. Working with the NYPD as they surged hundreds of officers into the subway system has reduced crime levels this year compared to last year and before the pandemic. Help Points supplement police presence and the 911 system that’s accessible to anyone with a phone. We’ve closely reviewed the Inspector General’s recommendations concerning Help Points and are evaluating ways to improve their effectiveness.”

Lisa Daglian, executive director of the MTA’s Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, said it is important for straphangers to be “confident” in Help Points.

“While it’s unfortunate that so many of the calls made are considered ‘mischief’ and take away from riders in need of real assistance, the fact that the inspector general’s office has offered concrete recommendations that transit has accepted is a good step to rectifying issues with the Help Point system,” she said. “Riders need to know that they can contact someone when they need help, whether an emergency or for information, and being confident in the Help Point system will help increase their feelings of safety in the system.”

Meanwhile, as of mid-2024, a capital project estimated at $79.2 million is currently underway to upgrade communication systems, including Help Points, and is planned to be completed by the end of the year, the inspector general said.

Three men, including two former employees of a nonprofit organization serving New York City’s homeless population, have been charged in a yearslong kickback scheme that misappropriated more than $500,000 in public funds.

An indictment unsealed Nov. 21 in federal court in Brooklyn names Gary DSilva, also known as “Pankaj DSilva,” Jonathan Velazquez, and Luis A. Camarena as defendants. They face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering, among others.

The defendants were arraigned Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.

“These defendants misappropriated public funds through a brazen kickback scheme,” said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “When corrupt employees siphon public funds to line their own pockets, the neediest New Yorkers bear the brunt. My office will relentlessly pursue those who try to compromise the integrity of our community organizations.”

According to prosecutors, DSilva and Velazquez worked for the management information systems department of a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that operated multiple homeless shelters and other services for vulnerable New Yorkers. The nonprofit’s name was not disclosed in the indictment.

From 2017 to 2021, the two allegedly conspired with Camarena, the principal of a vendor contracted to install security cameras at the shelters.

Prosecutors allege the vendor received $1.6 million in payments from the nonprofit for security camera projects during that time, with more than $500,000 of those funds funneled back to DSilva and Velazquez as kickbacks. Payments were reportedly made to credit cards in the names of DSilva and Velazquez and their spouses, and payments were made to shell companies registered to DSilva’s spouse.

In one email obtained during the investigation, the three men allegedly discussed dividing the “profit” from the contracts awarded to Camarena’s company.

“These employees of a City-funded nonprofit participated in an illegal kickback scheme, enriching themselves by stealing from their employer, an entity providing critical services to New Yorkers in need, as alleged in the indictment,” said Jocelyn E. Strauber, commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy added, “This alleged quid pro quo agreement only enriched the involved parties and deprived the city of vital infrastructural improvements. The FBI will never tolerate corrupt individuals who selfishly steal public funds intended to support our city’s vulnerable populations.”