It was removed from a quiet first day on the job for the brand new head of the NYPD’s Housing Bureau.
Housing Chief Martine Materasso instantly needed to deal with a disaster when she stepped into the position final month — a crazed gunman had gone on a capturing spree that left two individuals lifeless at NYCHA developments in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“The appearing started that night time at midnight,” Materasso, 45, just lately stated of being named “appearing chief” of the bureau on Dec. 5, when capturing suspect Sundance Oliver, 28, allegedly launched his rampage.
Materasso, who has since been appointed full chief, spoke to The Submit final week whereas strolling by NYCHA’s Smith Homes on the Decrease East Aspect, the place a monument stands to 21-year-old Kevon Langston, certainly one of Oliver’s alleged victims.
“Sadly, typically it simply looks like you may have that darkish cloud over you whenever you transfer,” she stated. “One thing simply all the time occurs.”
The previous NYPD counterterrorism chief stated she plans on cleansing home — making tackling violence and high quality of life points in public housing developments amongst her high priorities.
“I imply, violence is all the time our primary (concern), the shootings, the robberies,” she stated.
“However then once more, whenever you converse to those residents, they don’t wish to should stroll over any individual capturing up heroin of their lobbies,” Materasso stated. “It’s not honest to the individuals going to work within the morning. It’s not honest to those youngsters. So our focus nonetheless needs to be there. So we acquired to have the ability to do each concurrently. And we’re positively ready to try this.”
Materasso recalled beginning her first day on the subway – an task all chiefs needed to full per Mayor Eric Adams – however speeding to be along with her cops when stories of the primary housing advanced capturing got here in.
“That’s once I got here into a extremely chaotic scene the place we had been searching for an individual who had simply killed one particular person and was concerned in different capturing incidents as effectively,” she stated.
Oliver, an obvious gang member with a prolonged rap sheet, had allegedly killed Langston on the improvement within the shadow of NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza.
A CitiBike, a water bottle and a black letter “Okay” nonetheless stand as a makeshift memorial to Langston outdoors the constructing the place he was gunned down.
“It was somewhat chaotic,” stated Officer Wilber Martinez, who works within the Housing Bureau’s Public Service Space 4.
“Everyone was involved, the residents. They knew one thing was incorrect.”
Info was scant within the capturing’s rapid aftermath, however Martinez, who has 10 years on the job, stated he and his associate tried to assist calm residents down.
After killing Langston, Oliver allegedly traveled to Brooklyn and fatally shot Keyaira Rattray-Brothers, 17, within the Kingsborough Homes in Crown Heights.
Certainly one of his bullets additionally struck a 96-year-old man who was on a motorized wheelchair at a Brooklyn bus cease. Oliver had allegedly been capturing at a girl and an errant bullet hit the person within the ankle.
“As this was occurring, we had officers strolling on the bridges, ensuring we had individuals in place as a result of we had been involved a few automotive he could be utilizing,” Materasso stated of the suspect. “He turned himself in, Thank God, earlier than anyone else misplaced their life.”
Oliver turned himself in on the 77th Precinct in Brooklyn, in a scene caught on surveillance video. Prosecutors revealed at his arraignment that he had allegedly been planning to shoot up the precinct.
The 2 killings in public housing had been a blow to Materasso — who was as soon as dubbed “Surprise Lady” by fellow officers — since it’s her aim to make sure residents are protected of their properties.
Since being assigned to her new put up, Materasso has been assembly with improvement council presidents about their considerations about security and different points, she stated.
The bureau has handled these points by writing extra summonses, the chief defined at a current press convention.
“They are saying they wish to see the cops on the market and so they wish to see us addressing high quality of life points,” she stated on the presser at One Police Plaza.
“Because of this, our PSAs have collectively issued over 5,000 summonses and oath summonses,” she stated. “This can be a 164% improve from final 12 months. Included in these complaints are the reckless use of dust bikes and ATVs.”
Oath summonses can be written for noise and different high quality of life complaints.
Materasso additionally boasted that the Housing Bureau’s cops took 318 weapons off the streets single-handedly in 2022.
“So the blokes and ladies are on the market,” she stated. “They’re partaking and so they’re in the proper locations.”
Whereas homicides and shootings are down, some index crimes — together with theft — are spiking in housing developments, she has acknowledged to The Submit.
“We’re spiking within the Bronx in addition to Manhattan North,” she stated. “We now have our eye on these two for certain.”
As of Jan. 8, theft was up 53.3% from 15 at that time in 2022 to 23 up to now in 2023 in housing citywide, NYPD information present. Assault was up 10.7% from 56 to 62.
The division will transfer assets and allocate extra additional time if essential to deliver these numbers down, she stated.
“No matter we’ve got to do to suppress crime, ensure that the presence is on the market,” she stated. “Not less than that may deter for a interval, however we nonetheless must get these unhealthy guys and ladies off the road.”
She has 2,200 cops below her command, a small share of the 36,000 citywide.
One other main aim for Materasso is to assist win over younger individuals in public housing — one she says is being achieved by the Cornerstone Applications, which had been already in place when she began and are run out of 100 group facilities in housing.
“We now have all these facilities which are open to actually late hours,” she stated. “We wish to ensure that the youth aren’t saying ‘The place else am I gonna go? I gotta choose a crew or a aspect.’ We don’t need them to try this. We wish them to have one other avenue.”
Materasso by no means had any doubt about what she needed to do when she was rising up. She needed to observe within the footsteps of her father Chief Alfred Materasso.
“My brother teaches at our previous highschool and all of the academics are like ‘Wow, she actually did it as a result of she stated the entire time that’s what she needed to do,’” she stated.
“I used to be all the time like, police officer, police officer, police officer,” she recalled. “It’s all the time been a ardour for me.”
For his half, her dad’s been supportive of her profession, she stated.
“He understands how necessary this job is to the individuals of the town as a result of he noticed that turnaround,” she stated. “He was there within the 70s, and the 80s and the 90s.”
Materasso’s husband, Peter Fortune, can also be on the job. So when she’s out all night time for a case her household steps in, as they did throughout final month’s capturing rampage.
“I used to be like, ‘I’m not coming residence anytime quickly,’” she recalled saying whereas ensuring her husband was obtainable to maintain the women, 12 and 15.
However she managed once they had been a lot youthful. March 1 will mark her twenty third 12 months on the power, which handed “just like the blink of a watch,” she stated.
Again up on the ninth Ground of NYPD headquarters, Materasso’s new workplace is already decked out in police regalia, together with dozens of problem cash, the NYPD cash that commemorate officers and occasions. She additionally has household and division pictures galore — in addition to outstanding drawn depictions and a doll of Surprise Lady.
Some officers referred to Materasso as Surprise Lady when she served within the forty first Precinct within the Bronx as a result of they had been amazed by how a lot she acquired completed, she stated.
She as soon as instructed “At the moment Present” host Savannah Guthrie that different feminine cops additionally known as her Surprise Lady as a result of her rise was inspirational.
“All of them say, ‘How do you do that?” Materasso stated after taking up as the town’s first feminine counterterrorism chief in 2000.
“‘How can you be a spouse, a mom of two youngsters and have a place of management within the NYPD?’ and I feel that they see if I can juggle it, any of them can juggle it.”
