Scaffolding blocks NYCHA safety cameras

It's tough to spot criminals you cant see.

Yet five NYCHA security cameras at the gritty Van Dyke Houses in Brownsville have been rendered useless since the agency installed scaffolding that blocks their view.

NYCHA erected the sidewalk sheds at 362 and 390 Sutter Ave. to protect residents while it repairs the brick facades of the 61-year-old buildings as part of a $131,000 upgrade.

Tenants in the 22-building complex one of the citys roughest say they are more concerned about catching bad guys and avoiding ambushes than dodging falling debris.

You cant see when youre coming down from the building if anyone is there waiting, said Lisa Kenner, the president of the Van Dyke Tenants Association. And the scaffolding blocks the cameras. I just hope they get it down before summer.

The tenants concerns are not unfounded: Van Dyke logged 82 major crimes in 2013 the most of any NYCHA development, according to police figures. Crime at the complex jumped 82% over the 2012 total.

It makes me feel uneasy, said Stephanie Benet, 32, another Van Dyke resident. We already have enough issues to deal with.

NYCHA officials downplayed those concerns. In January, the agency finished removing scaffolds that were placed in 2010 and 2011 at 13 other Van Dyke buildings, but it doesnt expect to get rid of the sheds it installed in October at the two buildings until this summer.

When sidewalk sheds are in place, the cameras are adjusted when necessary to ensure they have a clear view, the agency said in a statement. Cameras have been adjusted at the remaining buildings with sidewalk sheds at Van Dyke Houses.

Yet the adjustments were not in evidence at the 14-story, 628-unit buildings on Tuesday. While two cameras on the corner of the buildings appeared to have partial views of the sidewalk, five others were pointed directly at the wooden scaffolding.

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Scaffolding blocks NYCHA safety cameras