By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams, City Police Commissioner Edward Caban, City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Kevin Kim, and City Office of Nightlife Executive Director Jeffrey Garcia on Thursday announced the launch of “Coordinating a United Resolution with Establishments” (CURE) – a new process for NYPD, SBS, and ONL to improve public safety responses to nightlife establishments and more equitably engage with nightlife business owners.
The new CURE process replaces the NYPD’s “Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots” (MARCH) – an initiative created by the Giuliani administration that conducted unannounced inspections of nightlife establishments in response to neighborhood complaints. The new CURE process requires precincts to establish direct, in-person communication with business owners and managers in conjunction with ONL, making them aware of potential violations and conditions of concern, and providing multiple opportunities for local business owners to correct issues before enforcement actions are taken.
Under the former MARCH program, nightlife establishments – which include bars, restaurants, music venues, and dance clubs – could have faced unannounced, nighttime, multi-agency inspections led by the NYPD, and supported by a broad array of inspectors from the Fire Department of the City of New York, the New York City Departments of Buildings (DOB), the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA). Since 2020, 44 MARCH operations have included an average of 17 inspectors, resulting in major disruptions for local businesses and patrons. Just two MARCH inspections have been conducted since July 1, 2022.
CURE ensures that the only venues subject to significant enforcement action are those which have demonstrated a clear and intentional disregard for community concerns by failing to heed multiple opportunities for cooperation with the NYPD and non-enforcement personnel at ONL. The new initiative requires a series of steps to be taken at the precinct level in coordination with ONL, before inspections can be approved by the NYPD’s Patrol Services Bureau, including in-person daytime visits, written documentation of incidents of concern, and in-person meetings between business owners and local precinct officials.
In cases involving complaints from local residents, ONL’s Mediating Establishment and Neighborhood Disputes NYC free mediation program will be engaged to help improve neighborhood relations through the support of neutral, third-party mediation. The program is administered in partnership with the New York City Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.
As part of the new procedure, NYPD will not initiate city or state interagency inspections outside of the new CURE process. Only agencies relevant to issues observed at CURE-involved establishments may be included in joint-inspection operations with the NYPD, and only on an “as-needed” basis. This procedure does not limit NYPD from any necessary real-time response to address immediate public safety concerns. Furthermore, agencies that have previously participated in MARCH operations, such as the FDNY, DOB, DOHMH, DEP, and SLA will continue to maintain their regular independent inspection processes to maintain compliance and ensure safety.
“As mayor of the city that never sleeps, I know that this is a 24-hour city, and we need to support the nightlife businesses that keep this city vibrant,” Adams said.
