City Islanders, pols want water safety
Water Safety Committee writes letter asking NYPD to enforce stricter rules
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,8 JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2020 BTR
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Saturday, August 15, 8PM
BY JASON COHEN
With the recent deaths of
two men on jet skis near City
Island and another fatality in
2018, residents and elected offi
cials are urging the city and
NYPD for more enforcement.
On July 21, the Water Safety
Committee of the City Island
Civic Association submitted a
letter to NYPD Commissioner
Dermot Shea about the issues
in the water near City Island.
Chair of the committee John
Sheridan spoke with the Bronx
Times about the ongoing issues
that have been affecting the
community.
Sheridan explained that
these aren’t new issues but
rather ones that have been
plaguing shorefront neighborhoods
for years. The late night
boat and jet ski activity has not
only affected City Island, but
also the nearby communities of
Edgewater, Locust Point, Country
Club and Spencer Estates.
The Bronx is the only borough
without a dedicated harbor patrol
and after 8 p.m. there is no
police presence in the area.
The letter pointed out a variety
of illegal activities that usually
take place in the waterway,
including the operation of boats
and jet skis with no registration
numbers or names, lewd public
behavior, underage drinking
and the use and sale of drugs.
“This open defi ance of the
law and any semblance of acceptable,
neighborly-like behavior
has been going on for
four years now,” the letter said.
“We need that permanent station,
Commissioner Shea.”
Sheridan commended Captain
Fraser of the 45th Precinct,
members of Community Board
10 and Councilmen Mark Gjonaj
and Fernando Cabrera, who
helped to make the case for the
inclusion of funding for a permanent
harbor patrol station in
the Bronx as well as funding for
additional NCO type positions
for harbor patrol a part of this
year’s annual budget. But with
the recent arrival of COVID-19,
that legislation has stalled.
Sheridan said that he hopes
the letter, advocacy from the
offi cials and the recent deaths
will help change things.
“How many more people
have to die before legislation
that has been before the
City Council for a year now is
passed?” Sheridan said. “Do innocent
swimmers have to die?
Do innocent children learning
to sail have to die?”
On July 27, NYPD’s Harbor
Patrol held a conference
call that included members of
the City Island Civic’s Water
Safety Committee, representatives
from Edgewater Civic Association
as well as from Spencer
Estates Civic Association
and elected offi cials Gjonaj and
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto.
Reggie Johnson, chief of
staff for Gjonaj, told the Bronx
Times that the councilman is
still trying to get the legislation
passed but in the meantime,
he is focused on making
waterways safe for Bronx residents.
Gjonaj has asked the NYPD
how many boats there are, the
number of personnel on staff
and what is their response
time to an incident.
“Although there are clearly
budget restrictions, I think
there are things we can do,”
Johnson said. “There is a responsibility
of the city to protect
the people when they’re
using it the water.”
Benedetto shared the councilman’s
concerns. He said
having a dedicated patrol in
the Bronx isn’t necessary as
long as the people who are supposed
to patrol the area are doing
their job.
He also stressed that people
need “to be good citizens on
the water.” Jet skis should not
be fl ying at high speeds late at
night. If people followed common
sense laws, some of these
accidents could be avoided.
The assemblyman noted
people on the boats should not
be throwing loud parties that
disturb their neighbors.
“We might not have a dock
in the Bronx, but there are patrols
that take care of our area,”
Benedetto said. “I’m more concerned
with does NYC put
enough money into maintaining
adequate patrols.”
Councilman Mark Gjonaj and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto want
changes to the water in the Bronx. File photo
/ilovethebronx.com