On July 23, 2024, I visited the Mount Vernon Police Department to make a domestic incident report. As an active participant in the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP), I requested that my protected address should be redacted from the report before it is shared with another agency for review. This was necessary for the report to be reviewed by their District Attorney’s Office in connection with an ongoing case involving the offending party.
In addition, I notified reporting officer Velasquez that the offending party had prior knowledge of my protected address here in Mount Vernon. Unfortunately, the report was generated with my full address included which is a direct violation of the ACP pursuant to N.Y Executive Law section 108, which legally allows me to substitute my protected address for the one that is granted to me by this program.
The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP), was established to protect victims of domestic violence by authorizing the use of a designated address granted by the program. This right to legally substitute your address by the ACP can only be waived by the Secretary of State after the agency does its due diligence to verify that the agency in question requesting the protected address has a bona fide need to incorporate the protected address and that the agency cannot change its internal procedures to meet that need.
Such agency is then required to receive a waiver that specifically grants them authority to request the confidential participant’s address and if this confidential information is being shared to another agency, then that agency must also request the authority to exchange the protected information.
The Mount Vernon Police Department failed to abide by the ACP’s protocols and violated Penal Law § 60.3 by failing to redact identifying information of domestic violence victims from reports, including names, addresses, and contact information.
This free program serves thousands of New Yorkers such as myself to alleviate us by granting protection from our perpetrators and help save lives.
But this breach of confidentiality has unfortunately caused me a significant amount of emotional distress including increased feelings of anxiety and depression requiring medication and a reasonable fear for my safety as I am uncertain whether my protected address was shared or leaked to the offending party.
In pursuit of a resolution, I visited the Mount Vernon police department and There was a meeting with Captain Gregory Addison, Captain Michael Goldman, and Deputy Chief Steven Sexton about my concerns on August 29, 2024.
Captain Gregory Addison and Deputy Chief Steven Sexton acknowledged that the issues I raised stemmed from a lack of knowledge and understanding of the law, and apologized for ‘The inconvenience caused by their department’s actions.’
Specifically, they recognized that their failure to investigate promptly and protect my confidentiality was a result of ignorance and a lack of training on relevant laws and procedures in New York State.
Deputy Chief Sexton assured me that the Department will be implementing additional training to ensure that officers and staff understand and comply with the laws and procedures in question.
Although the Police department acknowledged the costly mistake by one of its officers, this meeting did not offer any resolution.
On September 17, 2024, in hopes of rectifying the confidentiality breach by the Mount Vernon Police Department, I formally requested directed patrol near my protected address via email to Commissioner David Gibson and Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Lackard. The Chief of Police, Marcel Olifier responded to my email request and asked ‘Other than being in fear, why exactly are you requesting the directed patrol?’ He continued to state that he could not guarantee the directed patrol due to ‘call volume or other police service requests.’
The fact that it has been three months and I am left with no rectification to my dispute and concerns, only to face further delays and uncertainty, is a clear indication of the systemic failures and lack of support for victims of domestic violence.
It’s egregious how Mount Vernon treats survivors and victims of Domestic Violence and I can only imagine how so many others may have felt who do not know how to navigate through the legal system to get their needs met and their voices heard as I do.
The Mount Vernon Police Department took an oath to protect and serve its City’s residents but has been consecutively downplaying and neglecting my safety concerns and violating my rights as a United States citizen due to the lack of knowledge of relevant and current laws in place for New York State Domestic Violence victims.
As a long-time resident, I have always strived to make a positive impact in our City. However, the department’s failure to protect my confidentiality and mishandling of my case has caused me significant harm and distress.
Since this incident, I have become a certified Human Rights Consultant through the U.S Institute of Diplomacy and Human Rights and have been meeting with other marginalized members of the community who have faced the same challenges as the Mount Vernon Police Department to advise them of their rights as residents in Mount Vernon, New York.
If you or anyone you know, has been mistreated by the Mount Vernon Police Department and would be interested in a free consultation with me, please see below for my contact information.
