The Changing Landscape of New York - Brooklyn

So I went around downtown Brooklyn last weekend to see how much it has changed and I noticed this huge real estate boom. Forest City Ratner, the owners of the New Jersey Nets, are building at least 12 office towers, with some housing private businesses and others housing city, state and federal government offices. For instance, the Klitgord Auditorium on the corner of Jay and Tillary Streets and part of New York City Technical College is being torn down and an office tower is being built there. In exchange for the air rights, Forest City Ratner will be building a state of art gymnasium for the college and they have air rights above the 2nd or 3rd floor of this struction, which, I am told, will be 30 - 40 stories high.

Similarly, the family court building (for those not up on this: this is where New York divorce, child custody, family law, child support and matrimonial law issues are decided) on Jay Street (next to the Brookly Marriott) owns the first 10 floors but Forest City Ratner has air rights for this structure as well. The Brooklyn real estate market is truly booming as you will see from the following pictorial:



This condo development was built directly across from the New York City Brooklyn House of Dentention, a local jail holding facility, connected to the Brooklyn New York Criminal Court building. This was a satellite holding facility for Brooklyn but which has been closed because of budget cuts, overcrowding, police brutality and misconduct complaints. (Boro Pres Demands House of Dentention Closure)

And of course, here is a picture of the Brooklyn New York House of Detention located on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn for those arrested for criminal and civil contempt proceedings. Joined at the hip with the Brooklyn Criminal Court building. The New York City Police Departments Central Booking has be relocated here for arrest processing and holding for arraignments and pre-arraignments (whatever that is, they hold you while they figure out what crime to charge you with?):



As I mentioned before the Brooklyn New York House of Detention is connected via tunnel to the Brooklyn Criminal Court building (See photo)


This is where all criminal arrests are arraigned and processed. This is a Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx and NY New York criminal defense lawyer and NYC police misconduct attorneys playground and it is where most of the police overtime in New York City is spent -- waiting for the district attorney or prosecutor to release the arresting police officer back to regular duty after an arrest.

Right down the street was this new development. Don't know who its by or what its for but it is brand new real estate under construction in Brooklyn. So here it is:



To show the proximity to these projects, I have used existing landmarks in Brooklyn, such as the Brooklyn House of Detention and Brooklyn Criminal Court House. This little beauty is next to Brooklyn NY Landlord/Tenant Court on Livingston Street (See photo)



This is where New York real estate lawyers & Brooklyn NY civil litigation attorneys dwell. They plead cases involving eviction and dispossess in New York. FYI: In New York City, if a landlord illegally evicts you, after you have legally resided on his or her property for 30 or more days, you may call the New York Police Department, where the matter becomes criminal and the landlord may be subject to arrest.

The Changing Landscape of Florida

This is not necessarily New York but the vintage police car photo post was very interesting so I figured why just stop at New York City? Since it's very cold today here in NY today (13 degrees), I figured let me look for a warm climate and feature their police cars. Will it warm people up by seeing Florida state and local police vehicles and cars? Probably not but here goes anyway. It goes back to what the previous post said: Seeing how other states control their criminal activity or how it was controlled and how they transported their criminals after arrest. One of the photos though looks like something that Gillespie would have driven in the movie "Heat of the Night":


Florida State Police Car


Kissemmee Florida Police Patrol Vehicle 1971


Naples Florida Police Car

The Changing Landscape of New York City

I didn't notice how much New York City has changed and I set out to capture a little bit of this history but not all of it (just too much) but I figured I would start with a pretty interesting piece of history and that is with law enforcement in New
York City.

I was looking at New York City Police Department patrol cars or as they call them, RMP's for radio motor patrol and I set about to find photos of previous RMP's for the NYPD and the style of vehicle, color, make and model are very interesting over the years. From the curent white and blue to the blue and white to the old green and black RMPs of the 60's and 70's. It's also amazing in our day and age what equipment the NYPD used to thwart criminals and criminal activity in New York. Here goes:


1968 RMP (Green, Black & White)


1966 RMP (Green, Black & White)


1980's NY Housing Police Dept RMP (Red, Orange, White)


1970's Port Authority PD RMP


1990's NYPD Blue and White RMP


1990's NYPD Blue and White RMP


1990's NY Transit Police RMP


Its worth noting that the NY transit police and housing police were folded into the NYPD. Up Next: The changing skyline of New York City including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx and Queens.