Anyone who wants to enter buildings in the city’s public housing projects will need an ID card starting later this year.
The Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) plans to issue its residents, ages 18 years and older, picture identification cards by June, which can be run through magnetic readers in the HHA’s 21 buildings. Police frequently arrest non-residents in the city’s projects for loitering there, and subsequently find drugs on them.
The 21 subsidized buildings in the southwest part of town are also expected to get new locks in the near future, to go with the existing 15 security cameras that are placed strategically throughout the HHA. Both HHA officials and the Hoboken Police Department (HPD) view all of the cameras.
The cards also will be used by residents for certain Housing Authority facilities, such as the parking lot, which has recently been outfitted with security gates, and to gain access to HHA events like the upcoming Health Festival this June.
According to Interim Executive Director Robert DiVincent, who is also the executive director of the West New York and Weehawken housing authorities, the cards were introduced in West New York two years ago and have been a “tremendous success.”
Another proponent of the identification cards is 4th Ward Councilman and HHA Commissioner Christopher Campos, who, having been a product of the Authority, stressed the importance of security for residents.
“It’s a very good precautionary measure in dealing with security issues, which are our number one priority at the Authority,” said Campos. “We have to ensure the safety of the residents, and by restricting access to buildings and monitoring who goes where, we can better maintain the facilities, improving the quality of life for residents.”
Residents are prohibited from lending their cards to others and, according to DiVincent, will have to pay $15 to replace a lost card.
“This is one of many things we are doing to improve the living conditions of residents of the Housing Authority,” said DiVincent, alluding to an ongoing $2.4 million renovation project at the HHA, which is currently nearing completion. “It allows tenants to gain access to buildings while restricting those who do not belong. This is a much-needed step in the right direction.”
Several concerns
Although members of the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners were supportive of the new security measure, which they helped implement, some expressed concerns.
“It’s a wonderful system, but they should move the age [of ownership] to children 12 years or older,” said Commissioner Perry Belfiore. “You have working parents who can’t take off and let their children in [the building] after school lets out or during the lunch period. We can’t have children waiting in the streets for their parent to come home.”
Commissioner and HHA Board President Angel Alicea agreed with Belfiore about moving the age of card recipients from 18 years to 12 years.
Alicea also raised concerns over the amount of personal information that would be contained on the card, fearing that if lost, the card could not only provide access to a building, but also lead to identity theft.
Several residents – some of whom disagreed with the idea completely – shared Alicea’s sentiment.
“I don’t like the idea of card keys to begin with,” said Linda Petrozelli of Columbus Gardens. “People are going to lend them to friends and family or lose them, and then suddenly someone is walking around with access to all the buildings and the name and information of one of the residents.”
Maryanne Camporeale of Fox Hill Gardens seconded Petrozelli’s concerns. “I don’t agree with it at all. It’s too much like Big Brother looking over you,” she said.
DiVincent addressed the concerns by saying that no personal information would be on the card except for a picture, name, and numerical code to be used by the Authority to identify the owner of the card.
DiVincent added that if a card is lost, it will be deactivated, preventing anyone who might find the card from using it to gain access to a building.
The executive director also ruled out giving the card to 12-year-old residents because of the costs associated with expanding the program, and what he believes to be a greater likelihood that the cards will be lost.
DiVincent estimated the initial set-up costs of the project, which include creating the cards and installing the devices on the front doors, to range between $15,000 and $18,000.
Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.