WESTCHESTER COUNTY OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
MIRIAM E. ROCAH
***NEWS RELEASE***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 16, 2021
DA ROCAH ANNOUNCES NEW HOTLINE – 914-995-TIPS – TO REPORT HATE CRIMES, BIAS INCIDENTS, ELDER ABUSE, WAGE THEFT, IMMIGRANT VICTIMIZATION, PUBLIC CORRUPTION AND MORE.
White Plains, NY – Westchester District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah today announced a new multilingual hotline, 914-995-TIPS (914-995-8477), for the public to report hate crimes, bias incidents, victimization of immigrants, elder abuse, wage theft and other labor-related violations, law enforcement misconduct, public corruption and other potential criminal matters.
“If you have an emergency or you need immediate assistance, you should call 911 or your local police department. However, our new hotline is another option to let investigators know if you have been a victim of a crime, witnessed a crime, or have a tip about investigating a crime,” Rocah said. “The hotline is available 24/7 in English, Spanish and Mandarin and will automatically notify us whenever calls come in.”
The hotline, 914-995-TIPS (914-995-8477), is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Callers can choose English, Spanish or Mandarin – with additional languages to be added in the coming weeks – and will use an automated menu to specify the area of their complaints. They will then be directed to voicemail boxes to leave information.
Experienced coordinators have been designated for each hotline area. The coordinators will be automatically notified whenever a voicemail message is received and a member of the DA’s investigative team will follow up on all tips and complaints received.
The DA’s Office has also launched the first in a series of promotional videos to promote the hotlines on social media and on-line.
The immigration affairs hotline calls will be handled by Immigration Affairs Coordinator Saad Siddiqui, who joined the DA’s Office last week. He brings to this newly-created position a wide range of legal experience as a defense attorney and administrator dealing with immigration, criminal justice, civil rights, housing, child welfare, juvenile delinquency and other issues.
Most recently, Mr. Siddiqui was Senior Assistant County Attorney at the Westchester County Department of Law. Previously, he had his own law practice and was also the Fair Housing Director for the Westchester County Human Rights Commission and an Associate Counsel with the Legal Aid Society of Westchester County.
He serves on the boards of a number of community organizations including the Lower Hudson Valley Civil Liberties Union, Community Resource Center and Fair Housing Justice Center. He is a graduate of Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law and the University of Rochester.
Other hotline calls will be routed to Assistant District Attorneys as follows:
Hate crimes and bias incidents Catalina Blanco Buitrago
Elder abuse Christine Hatfield
Wage theft & labor violations Emily Rowe-Smith
Law enforcement misconduct Jennifer Sculco
Public corruption
The public can also leave a tip or report a potential criminal matter at any time by using the DA’s Office on-line complaint form. Go to www.westchesterda.net and click on Complaints for complete instructions.
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