New York City Department of Sanitation

New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY)
Agency overview
Jurisdiction	New York City
Headquarters	125 Worth Street New York, New York
Employees	6800 uniformed sanitation workers and supervisors 2,041 civilian employees
Agency executive	John J. Doherty, Commissioner
Parent agency	New York City
Website
http://www.nyc.gov/sanitation

The New York City Department of Sanitation, or DSNY, is a uniformed force of unionized sanitation workers (Local 831 USA of the teamsters) in New York City. Their responsibilities include garbage collection, recycling collection, street cleaning, and snow removal. Like the rest of New York's uniformed forces, they have a nickname: "New York's Strongest." The section of Worth Street between Centre and Baxter Streets in Manhattan is named "Avenue of the Strongest" in their honor. The New York City Department of Sanitation is the largest sanitation department in the world, with 7,899 uniformed sanitation workers and supervisors, 2,041 civilian workers, 2,230 collection trucks, 275 specialized collection trucks, 450 street sweepers, 365 salt and sand spreaders, 298 front end loaders, 2,360 support vehicles, and handles over 12,000 tons of residential and institutional refuse and recyclables a day.^[1] Under Commissioner John J. Doherty, New York City's streets are reportedly the cleanest that they have been in over 30 years.^[1]

History

DSNY was founded in 1881 as the Department of Street Cleaning. One of the Department's first Commissioners, Colonel George E. Waring, Jr., pioneered such current practices as recycling, street sweeping, and a dedicated uniformed cleaning and collection force.^[2]

Law enforcement

A DSNY Police Patch.

DSNY has its own police force, which is composed of four specialized units: The Uniformed Sanitation Police Force, The illegal dumping task force, the Permit and Inspection Unit and the Environmental Enforcement Unit, composed of uniformed and undercover officers who handle sanitation related emergency calls, and enforce sanitation related laws in addition to state and city traffic and criminal laws in the 5 boroughs of New York City. DSNY officers are NYS peace officer certified by the NYS Municipal Police Training Council. Officers can carry and use firearms, carry and use handcuffs, make warrantless arrests, issue summonses, and use physical and deadly force. The police force uses marked and unmarked police cars. ^[3]

NYC Sanitation Police vehicle

References

1. ^ ^{a b} About DSNY
2. ^ Trying to Clean Up New York, Gotham Gazette, Aug. 16, 2004
3. ^ DSNY Police Cars

External links

DSNY Home Page