Everybody's Investigating Sanitation Snowbatoge

By Sergio Hernandez Wed., Jan. 5 2011 at 4:57 PM

Categories: Corruption, Crime, Labor, Sergio Hernandez, Snow News Day, Weather, What Not to Do

So who isn't investigating The Great Snow Clean-Up Fuck-Up of 2010? After nearly a week of nonstop bitching, public agencies are finally cracking down on what went wrong with the city's blizzard response last week (or at least angling for some good publicity). The feds have reportedly launched a fraud investigation to see whether sanitation workers sabotaged the plowing efforts, and the city's own Department of Investigation says it's launched its own probe.

In a press release, DOI commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said the department is "continuing" an investigation it launched last week, to find whether any city employees encouraged or committed a work slowdown.

"DOI is attacking this wide-ranging investigation on several fronts," Hearn said.

According to the press release, the department will examine attendance records for sanitation department employees, equipment and personnel issues, public complaints, and will interview sanitation supervisors throughout the five boroughs with an emphasis on "areas where there has been a high-degree of concern regarding the plowing of snow."

Yesterday, the Daily News reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office is also investigating whether sanitation workers purposefully delayed the snow cleanup. The sabotage allegations stem from a story in the New York Post last week, which accused sanitation department employees of holding up the blizzard clean-up to protest budget cuts.

Meanwhile, the DOI encourages anyone who knows something to call its "snow hotline" at 1-212-825-3338. Yes, "snow hotline." That's a thing now.

[shernandez@villagevoice.com]

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