The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH) is a regulatory agency in

Port of New York and New Jersey The Port of New York and New Jersey is the port district of the New York-Newark metropolitan area, encompassing the region within approximately a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. It includes the system of navigable water ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The bi-state agency was founded in 1953 by a Congressional authorized compact between New York and New Jersey "for the purpose of eliminating various evils on the waterfront in the Port of New York Harbor." Under statutory mandate, the mission of the commission is to investigate, deter, combat and remedy

criminal activity In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

and influence in the

port district In Canada and the United States, a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority_for_a_special-purpose_district.html" ;"title="110. - 6910./ref> is a type of Nonprofit organization">nonprof ...

and also ensures fair hiring and

employment Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

practices. New Jersey attempted to withdraw from the pact in 2018.

History

The commission was set up in August 1953 (a year before the movie '' On the Waterfront'') to combat labor

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

. The commission was initially created to combat unfair hiring practices on the waterfront in response to the growing number of crimes being committed there.

Division of Licensing and Employment Information Centers

The Division of Licensing and Employment Information Centers is responsible for screening, registering, and licensing individuals who are interested in working at the dock. The commission is authorized to deny or revoke the registration or licenses of those who involve themselves in criminal activity.

Police Division

The WCNYH has its own police division (a.k.a. WCPD), with state-certified peace officers that provide law enforcement services to the WCNYH areas.

Operations

The Police Division operates in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and has three offices, two in NY: *Broadway, N.Y. *Brooklyn, N.Y. and one in NJ: *Port Newark/Elizabeth office. The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor cooperates with various state, federal, and local law enforcement authorities in pursuing investigations into waterfront-related crimes.

Investigations

The Waterfront Commission participated in the investigation of criminal activities by the leaders and members of the Gambino crime family and union leaders. Charges of

conspiracy,

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

, theft of union benefits,

mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical or electronic mail system to defraud another, and are federal crimes there. Jurisdiction is claimed by the federal government if the illegal activity ...

, false statements, loansharking, embezzlement of union funds, money laundering, and illegal

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

, dating back over three decades, were brought forth by the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (in case citations, E.D.N.Y.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction spans five counties in New York State: the four Long Island counties of Nassau, ...

in February 2008 against leaders of the Gambino crime family, their associates, and union officials.Press Release
''United States Attorney's Office - Eastern District of New York'', February 7, 2008. The Police Division utilizes numerous vehicles in its vehicle fleet, including marked police cars and

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

Equipment

WCPD uses marked police patrol cars (such as Ford Explorer), command centre vehicles and boats for water work. Officers wear a darkblue NYC-style police uniform, with: *Eight-point peaked cap with cap-badge *Blue shirt *Blue trousers *Black boots *Blue jacket It also includes a duty belt with equipment. Identification includes the WCPD patch on both sides of the upper garments and a WCPD shield (badge) on the left breast.

Ranks

Ranks include:

New York State Inspector General report

On August 11, 2009, the New York State Inspector General Joseph Fisch issued a report of his two-year investigation of the Waterfront Commission. The report detailed extensive illegal, corrupt and unethical behavior on the part of Waterfront Commission staff. Following release of the report, the large majority of the commission's executive staff were fired, including the New Jersey Commissioner Michael J. Madonna (the New York Commissioner's seat was vacant at the time of the report's release, although the report faulted the actions of the former New York Commissioner, Michael C. Axelrod). The report's existence was due, in part, to two

whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...

s, Kevin McGown and Brian Smith, who both resigned and have since filed a discrimination complaint against the agency.

New Jersey withdrawal from pact

In October 2014, the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

passed measure S-2277 which would direct the governor of New Jersey to withdraw from the bi-state compact and transfer the commission's oversight responsibilities in New Jersey to the

state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

. In May 2015, Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

conditionally vetoed S-2277 (and the corresponding bill A-3506 passed by the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

), citing his concerns that the state lacked the authority to withdraw from the compact and arguing that the solution should be to modify the operations of the commission to minimize interference with waterfront operations. Among his final actions in January 2018 before leaving office, Christie signed legislation allowing the state to withdraw from pact. The Supreme Court has paused New Jersey's withdrawal from the compact creating the commission until it has addressed the merits of an injunction filed by the State of New York.

References

External links

Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
home page
Annual report
The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor 1994–2003.
New York Times articles about WCNYH
{{Law enforcement in New York City Port of New York and New Jersey United States interstate agencies Specialist police departments of New York (state) Specialist police departments of New Jersey Law enforcement agencies of New York City Government agencies established in 1953 1953 establishments in New York City 1953 establishments in New Jersey