You can make a difference. How?

Want to engage in your corner of the city?
Here are some steps for getting started:

Get smart. Who represents you in government?

  1. Find your City Council representative. There are 51 City Council districts throughout New York City. Find your rep here.

  2. Find your police precinct. There are 77 precincts throughout New York City. Find yours here. Each precinct is further divided into sectors, each of which is paired Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) who serve as a form of community liaison. The precinct link will also tell you your sector and how to contact your NCOs.

  3. Find your Community Board. There are 59 community boards in New York City. You can read more about what they do here. Find yours here.

  4. Find your New York State Assembly and Senate representativesFind your Borough President. For more about what they do, see this. There’s one in each borough.

  5. Voice Your Concern Letter: Find your Council Member using this quick find tool.  Then you can use copy and paste the content below to express your concerns.  Please cc: leadership@saferstreetsny.org and we will follow up with your council member for you!

Show up. Speak up. Meetings you can attend:

  • NYPD

    • Community Council meeting, held at the precinct on a monthly basis. Your precinct’s website will list the date and location. All meetings city-wide are listed here.  If you attend four (4) Community Council meetings, you’re invited to join the Community Council and to run for one of five (5) leadership positions on the Community Council Board. Originally established in the 1940’s, Precinct Community Councils are forums that provide on-going, direct communication between the police and community.  Community members meet regularly with the precinct Commanding Officer and Community Affairs Officers to discuss and find solutions to public-safety problems in their neighborhood. 

    • Build-a-Block meeting, held somewhere in your neighborhood. Finds yours here. These neighborhood safety meetings are strategy sessions between local police officers and the people they serve. The meetings have two simple goals: identify the public safety challenges of a specific neighborhood and discuss potential solutions.

  • Community Board

    • Your neighborhood Community Board meets monthly. The date is posted on their website. When you arrive, you can sign up to speak for 1-2 minutes on a topic of your choosing. Elected officials (or their representatives) often attend, along with reps from the NYPD, some city agencies, the District Attorney, etc. Find your Community Board here. Note that each Community Board has several topic-specific committees. Their meetings are open to all and are another opportunity to engage on topics like public safety, homelessness, etc.

  • Block Association and/or Business Improvement District (BID)

    • Your street/neighborhood might be served by a Block Association or Business Improvement District. Google or ask around to find out what’s in place in your neighborhood. These groups will often share your concerns and often welcome engagement from concerned citizens. Attend their meetings, express your concerns, and seek ways to support or amplify their efforts.

    • If you live near a park or other public space, there might be committees or organizations tied to those areas (e.g. Friends of Verdi Square). Likewise, many parks have organizations behind them (e.g. Madison Square Park) and their staff includes community liaisons who will engage with you. 

  • Town Halls or other presentations held by your elected officials (City or State)

    • Your leaders will often speak at neighborhood forums of some kind. Follow their public calendars on their websites and attend these meetings to ask questions and express your concerns.

What you should learn:

  • What is crime in my area? The NYPD releases precinct-level crime statistics on a weekly basis. These are available here and also on your precinct’s own website.

  • Who is actively providing social services in my neighborhood? For example, on the UWS, Goddard Riverside is actively involved in caring for the homeless. Who is doing this in your area, what do they do well, what could they do better, and what resources might you help secure for them?

  • What is happening with the homeless shelters in NYC? Please see here more information from the Department of Homeless Services

Spread the Word

Tell your friends and neighbors about this effort. The more people behind this effort, the stronger our voice. Sign up to hear from us, join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or check us out on Instagram.