The Stop Work Order Patrol was initially launched in Queens as an enforcement pilot program in November 2006, and was expanded to Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island during the past year. Now operating citywide, the Stop Work Order Patrol is an integral component of Phase One of the Buildings Department's Special Enforcement Plan, which utilizes Stop Work Orders to crack down on violators disregarding building and zoning regulations.
To catch offenders in the act, the Stop Work Order Patrol tracks sites with active Stop Work Orders and conducts unannounced inspections of these sites. When builders are caught working against the Stop Work Order, the Buildings Department issues violations carrying immediate civil penalties that must be paid before the Stop Work Order may be lifted. Ranging from $2,000 for a first offense to $10,000 for a third or subsequent offense, these civil penalties and the costs caused by delays from the Stop Work Order are strong financial disincentives for builders considering violating a Stop Work Order. In addition, for those builders who continuously disobey a Stop Work Order, the Buildings Department may pursue criminal prosecutions.
And from Matches Malone:
"The hits just keep on coming!"
Looks like the SWOP needs to visit 63rd Road in Forest Hills.
1 comment:
The bottom line is that NOTHING ever gets unbuilt. No matter ho many fines, no matter how many penalties, a bold builder can proceed to completion with whatever atrocity he wants to put up.
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