Legislation will bring about the reforms necessary to restore the public\u2019s trust in an office that is an essential part of the criminal justice process<\/p>\n
Council will also vote to require a two-year pilot for the collection and composting of organic waste<\/p>\n
New York, NY- Today, the City Council will vote on legislation to make the City\u2019s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) more accountable and transparent \u2013 reforms that are necessary for restoring the public\u2019s confidence in an office that is a vital part of the criminal justice process.<\/p>\n
In a continued effort to make New York City as green as possible, the Council will also vote to require the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to conduct a two-year pilot for the collection and composting of organic waste from residences and schools in the city.<\/p>\n
Improving Accountability and Transparency in the Office of Chief Medical Examiner to conduct a Root Cause Analysis upon the occurrence of significant events<\/p>\n
Following two Council hearings in response to disturbing accounts of mishandling of DNA evidence and other mismanagement within the office, the Council will today vote on two bills which aim to enhance accountability, reporting and transparency mechanisms in the OCME so that incidents like these do not happen again.<\/p>\n
The first bill would increase accountability by requiring a committee within OCME to conduct a \u201croot cause analysis\u201d whenever significant errors or incidents occur which affect the accuracy, reliability or integrity of OCME\u2019s reported results of evidence examination and analysis. The analysis will focus on the failure in systems and processes \u2013 not on individuals or human error. The committee\u2019s findings will be reported to the Council and the Mayor and \u2013 in affected cases \u2013 to prosecutors and defense counsel, making the OCME more accountable to oversight bodies and the public.<\/p>\n
A second bill will increase the transparency of the office by requiring the OCME to post data on the proficiency of lab workers and other information relating to the procedures and standards used in the DNA Lab. Allowing this information to be public is critical to enabling the criminal justice process to reach the right results which means finding the right perpetrator and bringing justice to victims.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bills we will pass today are critical to enabling the criminal justice process to reach the right results, which means finding the right perpetrator, and bringing justice to victims,\u201d said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. \u201cThe Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is an office deserving of our support, and the Council\u2019s legislation will help to ensure that they are deserving of our trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInt. No. 1058-A will improve the accountability of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner by requiring the office to conduct a root cause analysis when mistakes are made, taking a hard look at the systems and structures that lead to failures to ensure they never occur again,\u201d said Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo. \u201cI want to thank Speaker Quinn and Council Member Ferreras for their efforts in advancing these two pieces of legislation being considered today which will help us regain confidence in the OCME after recent unfortunate incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnsuring that data on the proficiency of lab workers and other documents relating to procedures used in the DNA lab are available to the public would improve the transparency and accountability of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner,\u201d said Council Member Julissa Ferreras. \u201cIn addition, making such data public represents a critical step forward by improving transparency in the criminal justice process overall, aiding in the achievement of what every victim deserves\u2014justice. I look forward to the benefits this bill will bring, and I thank Speaker Quinn and Council Member Arroyo for their efforts to bring Int. No. 1051-A and Int. No. 1058-A before the Council today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Organic Waste Composting Pilot<\/p>\n
DSNY has already initiated a food waste collection pilot, but this bill would ensure that the pilot\u2019s scope and duration is sufficient enough to provide the foundation for a citywide residential composting program.<\/p>\n
The pilot will have two distinct collection approaches: collection from households with fewer than nine units and collection from City schools and residential buildings with nine or more units that opt-in to collection \u2013 participation for residents would be voluntary.<\/p>\n
At its completion, DSNY would be required to issue a report on the results of the pilot, including a plan for implementing a citywide residential organic waste collection program.<\/p>\n
###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Legislation will bring about the reforms necessary to restore the public\u2019s trust in an office that is an essential part of the criminal justice process<\/p>\n
Council will also vote to require a two-year pilot for the collection and composting of organic waste<\/p>\n
New York, NY- Today, the City Council will vote on legislation to make the City\u2019s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) more accountable and transparent \u2013 reforms that are necessary for restoring the public\u2019s confidence in an office that is a vital part of the criminal justice process.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n