Watch CBS News

Report: Sex Offenders Live In NYC Public Housing Despite Law

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Some registered sex offenders live at New York City Housing Authority complexes despite a federal law barring them from public housing, according to a report released Tuesday.

The report from state Sen. Jeffrey Klein and Councilman Ritchie Torres indicates that the number of offenders who list a Housing Authority apartment as their home address has spiked from 74 in 2010 to 110 this year.

Of those 110, 40 percent live in public housing buildings in Brooklyn.

The account found there's at least one sex offender in 81 developments citywide. That's one out of every four.

Sixty-eight of the offenders committed crimes against children under 17 years old, and four have victims under 5, the report found.

All convicted offenders listed with a moderate or high risk of reoffending must register their home address with local law enforcement.

"Dangerous sexual predators residing in public developments already belong on NYCHA's so-called 'Not Wanted' list and the agency must evict individuals violating the law and jeopardizing the safety of other tenants immediately," Klein said in a statement.

"This report's findings are of grave concern to all of us who care about public safety in public housing developments," Torres said.

The agency declined to comment, saying it hasn't seen the report.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.