Maura OConnor

In Wake Of Superstorm Sandy, Years Of Rebuilding Ahead

It might have been a scene from post-Katrina New Orleans. U.S. Army Humvees and reservists patrolled the streets; people without homes or electricity huddled in need of food, water and blankets; residents siphoned gas from destroyed cars to power generators. Others looked at the destruction wrought from the storm and couldn’t recognize their own home: […]

Maura OConnor
By Maura OConnor
Chris Santos looks through a hole in a partially collapsed basement wall of an oceanfront home, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in Belmar, N.J., as he checks for severe structural problems in foundation and basement damage from Monday's storm surge by Superstorm Sandy. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

It might have been a scene from post-Katrina New Orleans. U.S. Army Humvees and reservists patrolled the streets; people without homes or electricity huddled in need of food, water and blankets; residents siphoned gas from destroyed cars to power generators. Others looked at the destruction wrought from the storm and couldn’t recognize their own

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The Confounding Decades-Old Legal Case Behind Stop-And-Frisk Has Left Boundaries Open To NYPD Discretion — But For How Long?

This week a federal judge adjourned proceedings in one of the most significant challenges yet to stop-and-frisk in New York City, and scheduled what are sure to be impassioned closing statements for early November. The eight days of testimony at Manhattan’s federal courthouse in the Ligon v. City of New Yorklawsuit struck at one of the fundamental […]

Maura OConnor
By Maura OConnor
Demonstrators hold signs during a silent march to end the "stop-and-frisk" program in New York, Sunday, June 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

This week a federal judge adjourned proceedings in one of the most significant challenges yet to stop-and-frisk in New York City, and scheduled what are sure to be impassioned closing statements for early November. The eight days of testimony at Manhattan’s federal courthouse in the Ligon v. City of New Yorklawsuit struck at one of the

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At Public Hearings, New York State Seeks To End Licenses For Nuclear Plant Supplying Much Of The City’s Power

Of all the people who showed up on Monday for the first day of hearings in the relicensing of the Indian Point Nuclear Facility, Mr. Godman Planet Earth stuck out. The elderly gentleman stood in front of the Tarrytown Doubletree Hotel for hours, holding a sign stating he had repeatedly dreamed a 6.8 earthquake struck […]

Maura OConnor
By Maura OConnor
Indian Point Nuclear Facility as seen from across the Hudson River in New York. (Photo by Daniel Case via Wikimedia Commons)

Of all the people who showed up on Monday for the first day of hearings in the relicensing of the Indian Point Nuclear Facility, Mr. Godman Planet Earth stuck out. The elderly gentleman stood in front of the Tarrytown Doubletree Hotel for hours, holding a sign stating he had repeatedly dreamed a 6.8 earthquake struck the nuclear plant that is at

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A Different Sort Of Court: What’s The Right Punishment For Breaking Park Rules?

The frustrations and indignities of New York City’s criminal summonses system are on full display at 346 Broadway. Defendants who have received pink slips from the NYPD and other enforcement agencies wait for hours to find out where they are scheduled to appear before a judge, many for minor violations of quality-of-life laws. If they […]

Maura OConnor
By Maura OConnor
A playground at a park is shown in this photo taken March 20, 2008. (Photo by Christian Travers via Flikr)

The frustrations and indignities of New York City’s criminal summonses system are on full display at 346 Broadway. Defendants who have received pink slips from the NYPD and other enforcement agencies wait for hours to find out where they are scheduled to appear before a judge, many for minor violations of quality-of-life laws. If they aren’t in

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A Tort Time Bomb As Record Number Of Lawsuits Against NYPD Move Into Litigation

Lawsuits against the city’s police soared to a record 2,004 cases entering the courts in the year that ended July 1. That’s a 28 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, as recorded in the recently released Mayor’s Management Report. It indicates that the flood of cases brought against the New York City police — which […]

Maura OConnor
By Maura OConnor
Officers from the NYPD stand on a street in New York City. (Photo by David Shankbone)

Lawsuits against the city’s police soared to a record 2,004 cases entering the courts in the year that ended July 1. That’s a 28 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, as recorded in the recently released Mayor’s Management Report. It indicates that the flood of cases brought against the New York City police — which have seen a 63

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The NYPD’s Improbable Cause – Is the NYPD Violating New Yorkers Civil Rights One Summons At A Time?

Lindsey Riddick of Flatbush estimates he’s been to 346 Broadway, one of the city’s half  dozen summonses courts, at least six times to pay off pink slips police officers have handed to him. Trespassing, disorderly conduct, loitering — the charges kept coming. Three years ago, he spent two days in jail after a warrant was […]

Maura OConnor
By Maura OConnor
An officer gets into an NYPD vehicle. (Photo by Joi Ito)

Lindsey Riddick of Flatbush estimates he’s been to 346 Broadway, one of the city’s half  dozen summonses courts, at least six times to pay off pink slips police officers have handed to him. Trespassing, disorderly conduct, loitering — the charges kept coming. Three years ago, he spent two days in jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest when

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Virginia Remains Top Source Of Guns Seized In New York

Virginia is for lovers, but it is also a place for gun lovers. The state known as the gun-running capital of the East Coast is once again at the top of the list of states that “export” firearms to New York. A map of the top 15 states of origin for firearms recovered by New […]

Maura OConnor
By Maura OConnor
A pile of guns are displayed at a news conference. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Virginia is for lovers, but it is also a place for gun lovers. The state known as the gun-running capital of the East Coast is once again at the top of the list of states that “export” firearms to New York. A map of the top 15 states of origin for firearms recovered by New York law enforcement last year. Click on a state to see how many guns

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