OVERALL CRIME
During the past year, crime continued to decline in the Fashion District. According to the NYPD, overall crime decreased by 13% from 2000 to 2001 and has dropped an impressive 58% since the FCBID began operating in 1993. We credit this achievement to the hard work of the police officers from Midtown South Precinct and the diligence of our Public Safety officers.

OVERALL CRIME COMPARISON—1994 VS. 2001

QUALITY OF LIFE CONCERNS
The dramatic reduction in major crime is very gratifying, but the FCBID is equally concerned about the lesser crimes and other annoyances that detract from the quality of life. This past year, our Public Safety officers assisted in removing 2400 illegal peddlers and nearly 2000 vagrants and loiterers from our streets.

Our Public Safety supervisors are in daily contact with police to report complaints or to alert them to developing conditions. Because of their constant presence and familiarity with street conditions, FCBID Public Safety officers also act as the eyes and ears of the police, providing valuable intelligence about street activity.

During the past year, we worked even more closely with the police specialized units in order to more effectively address quality of life complaints. In addition, the new City Hall administration has announced an enhanced effort by the police to address quality of life complaints, including the creation of a toll free Quality of Life Complaint Hotline, 1.888.677.LIFE (5433). We welcome this new program and will continue to work closely with our partners in the Police Department to make our district a safer and more pleasant environment.

EIGHTH AVENUE CONDITIONS
Eighth Avenue remains our primary problem area. During the past twelve months, the NYPD Narcotics Division and the precinct Street Narcotics Enforcement Unit focused much of their attention in this area, making numerous undercover drug buys and arrests.

The FCBID Public Safety department also partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Midtown Enforcement (OME), which dispatched its multi-agency Inspection Task Force to conduct inspections of stores along Eighth Avenue. Representatives of the Police and Fire Departments, as well as of the City Departments of Buildings, Health, Consumer Affairs and Sanitation, conducted five days of initial inspections on Eighth Avenue during the spring and summer of 2001. Subsequently, OME performed five days of re-inspections during the fall of 2001 and in the early months of 2002.

Numerous violations and summonses were issued, resulting in an amelioration of certain conditions. A two story illegal advertising sign at an adult video store was dismantled, police confiscated goods from an illegal vendor in a cut-out store, a purveyor of handicrafts that encroached onto the sidewalk chose to close rather than receive further violations, and the majority of oversized awnings were trimmed back to meet city regulations. In all, 173 inspections were conducted, resulting in 2637 violations, 57 Criminal Court summonses, 75 Consumer Affairs and Health Department notices to appear at hearings, and 46 Environmental Control Board summonses. A West 39th Street restaurant near Eighth Avenue was also permanently closed by OME for selling narcotics.

ABOVE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER THOMAS WALLACE DISTRIBUTES NOTICES ABOUT "HOW TO STOP CARGO THEFTS".

CRIME PREVENTION As part of our continuing crime prevention campaign, the Public Safety Department conducted the following initiatives: • To address the issue of building safety, the Public Safety department sent information to all our constituents, informing them about how to protect properties and merchandise from theft. We also forwarded pamphlets provided by the police Crime Prevention Unit that dealt with closed circuit surveillance cameras and burglary alarms. • Working with Midtown South, the FCBID helped promote workplace security by offering free laptop computer registration this past July at the Information Kiosk. As part of “Operation Laptop,” more than 100 FCBID tenants took advantage of this opportunity to have their laptop computers etched with a security number for identification purposes in the event of a theft. Due to its popularity, the program will be repeated in July 2002.

ABOVE BARBARA RANDALL PRESENTS OUR DONATION OF BINOCULARS TO MIDTOWN SOUTH'S DEPUTY CHIEF LAWRENCE".

• In response to a string of burglaries, the FCBID Public Safety department strategized with the commanding officer of Midtown South, who in turn worked with his detectives and Anti-Crime unit to set up surveillance sites. These actions resulted in several arrests, after which burglary complaints immediately decreased.
• Last summer, the FCBID donated four binoculars to Midtown South for police to use in street surveillance.
• “Help Stop Cargo Thefts” notices were distributed to truckers in the area, informing them of measures they can take to prevent thefts of merchandise from their vehicles. This led to a continuing decline in this type of crime, which has been specific to the Fashion District for many years.
• The FCBID became a member of Operation Interlock, a crime prevention program run by the Association for a Better New York, that provides our Public Safety department with a direct radio link to a nearby Midtown South police sub-station. This connection enables us and the police to respond more rapidly to crimes in progress and emergency situations.
• During the crowded winter holiday season, FCBID Public Safety officers distributed “Holiday Safety Tips” that offered guidelines and suggestions for personal and property protection.

PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE AFTERMATH OF 9/11
Crime prevention and enhancement of public safety continued to be the primary goals of the Public Safety department but, during the last year, it also became a priority to deal with the localized effects of the attack on the World Trade Center. In response, the Public Safety department took a number of steps to keep FCBID members informed of latest developments and to provide technical and other information in anticipation of possible future events. These activities are described in full in the section on our Response to 9/11.

ABOVE IT LOOKS GOOD ON THEM, BUT NOT ON US! SUPER SIGNAGE IS APPROPRIATE IN TIMES SQUARE BUT NOT IN THE FASHION DISTRICT.

TIMES SQUARE USES AND SUPER SIGNAGE
In Fall 2001, the owners of 1441 Broadway applied to the Department of City Planning for a “spot” zoning change to allow this building Times Square uses and signage.
The Officers of the FCBID Board of Directors unanimously opposed this application, in accordance with the Board’s longstanding position against “super signage” and Times Square uses within the Fashion District. Before Community Board #5 and the City Planning Commission, FCBID staff presented testimony in opposition to the application. However, the City eventually approved the zoning change.

Nevertheless, the FCBID will continue to adhere to its traditional policy in opposition to Times Square uses and signs within our district because we believe they would compromise the Fashion District’s distinctive character.

This district has felt the positive impact from Times Square development, but southward “creeping” efforts to rezone individual buildings and permit super signage will have a negative impact on the overall development of our district, as the proliferation of illegal super signage and advertising on scaffolding throughout the district already has.

ADULT USE ZONING
Another zoning issue that affects the FCBID is Adult Entertainment Zoning. In 1995, new zoning amendments, limiting the placement of sex shops and topless bars, were adopted in New York City. As a result, the rest of Midtown has seen major decreases in sex-related businesses, but there has been practically no change along Eighth Avenue where these establishments took advantage of the 60/40 provision of the zoning amendments, wherein a business is not considered to be “adult” if no more than 40 percent of the floor area and/or inventory are devoted to the sale of adult material. Because of this loophole, the Fashion District has actually seen several new 60/40 stores open during the last couple of years. This has been a major impediment to improvement on Eighth Avenue.

At the end of 2001, the City enacted further zoning amendments which clarify that the 60/40 provision does not apply to topless bars and set specific criteria for defining “sham compliance” by book and video stores. It is expected that these clarifications will make it easier for City inspectors to demonstrate when porn shops are faking compliance with the regulations and thus improve the likelihood for successful enforcement.

The FCBID has long opposed the renting of stores to purveyors of pornography and has mounted several successful attempts to dissuade landlords from doing so. We regularly explain to property owners that, by accepting short term gains in the form of high rents from the pornography industry, they are contributing in the long run to the deterioration of the neighborhood and the lowering of property values. The FCBID also works closely with the Mayor’s Office of Midtown Enforcement, which is the primary enforcer of the adult zoning regulations in Manhattan. That agency also enforces laws against illegal adult establishments such as houses of prostitution. In January 2001, OME closed a brothel on Seventh Avenue and is currently in the process of suing to close an illegal massage parlor on Sixth Avenue.

PUBLIC SAFETY HOURS OF OPERATION
The FCBID’s fifteen Public Safety officers are on duty Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.