THE BRONX — The Bronx District Attorney's Office is just weeks away from establishing an office on Rikers Island as part of an effort to help reform the troubled jail complex, according to the borough's DA Darcel Clark.
Clark pledged to set up an office at Rikers during her inaugural address in January, describing it as a way to reduce violence and bring real time investigations to the island.
"We can no longer ignore the issues of violence and disorder we face at Rikers Island," she said in her inauguration speech. "Inmates, officers and staff alike must be able to exist under safe conditions."
Space has now been found for the office, and the facility should be finished in six to eight weeks, she said on Wednesday.
The remarks came during her visit to the 40th Precinct Community Council meeting where Clark pledged to pay "particular attention" to that part of The Bronx, which encompasses neighborhoods including Mott Haven, Port Morris and Melrose.
"When I started out as a young ADA in the late '80s and the early '90s, it was the 40 that had a lot of crazy problems and we need to do what we can to bring the crime down," she said.
"Things are working. Things are better, but things have gone up in some of the crimes and I just want you to know that I am paying particular attention to it."
The precinct saw the biggest crime spike in the city from 2014 to 2015 and robberies, felony assaults, burglaries and grand larcenies were all up in the precinct as of Feb. 21 compared to last year, while murders and auto thefts were down, according to the NYPD.
Clark also used the meeting to tout the new community engagement coordinators she had added to the DA's office, who are meant to connect with the neighborhood by attending precinct council meetings and other events, as well as the office's new immigration affairs unit which is meant to help give immigrants a safe place to report crimes even if they are undocumented.
"They’ll know that it’s safe to come to the DA’s office, that they don't have to worry about immigration consequences for reporting crimes against them," she said.
"I’m building it up more now, but I have put it in place."
Although Clark had a rather controversial nomination process — she was selected as the Democratic candidate for the Bronx DA last year by party leaders rather than by voters — she emphasized that the people of The Bronx had elected her to the office and she expected and encouraged them to hold her accountable.
"I’m thinking outside the box and I’m bringing a lot of different things that weren't there before," she said.
"Hopefully, we’ll get it right."
