Westchester County Legislator and Irvington resident David Imamura’s first sponsored bill has the potential to save lives. On June 18, that bill — the Safety Measures for Survivors of Domestic Violence Act — became a law that will provide free lock changes and the installation of a video doorbell at a domestic violence survivor’s home.
In 2020, Imamura was struck by the story of a New Jersey woman and her two children who were stabbed to death by her husband, who she had a temporary restraining order against, after asking her landlord five times to change the lock to her apartment. When New York City passed a law providing lock changes for domestic violence victims in February, it reminded him that he was in position to prevent a similar tragedy in Westchester.
“Here are people who have potentially lost everything, who are afraid for their lives and their kids’ lives, and the county of Westchester can and should provide help,” Imamura said.
Westchester’s law goes a step further than New York City’s by providing the installation of a video doorbell system. Domestic violence victims asked for that addition, which Imamura learned after consulting with the Westchester County Office for Women, and other advocates for domestic violence victims.
The County will work with organizations to provide locks and cameras for victims. The Pace Women’s Justice Center in White Plains is one such organization, which supports roughly 3,000 domestic violence victims each year. The center’s executive director, Cindy Kanusher, is an Irvington resident.
“All too often victims of domestic violence, when they leave with their kids, don’t have access to any money,” Kanusher said, adding that the center previously used grant funds to pay for victims’ lock changes and security systems. “We’re constantly looking for funds to help survivors with all of the needs they have. Sometimes it’s funds to put food on the table, to buy clothing. So this really will make a big difference.”
Imamura says keeping victims safe in their homes has a positive ripple effect beyond saving lives. He points to a 2022 National Network to End Domestic Violence survey that showed 41 percent of victims sought emergency housing in the shelter system.
“Not only does it [the law] ensure that people feel safe in their own homes, it also ensures that people don’t end up going into the shelter system. And it’s far cheaper for people to stay in their homes and have the county pay for the changing of the locks than to have someone indefinitely stay in the county shelter system.”
Imamura represents District 12, which encompasses Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, Irvington, and Greenburgh. In February 2023, he was elected to fill the remainder of a term started by MaryJane Shimsky, who was elected to the New York State Assembly. Imamura was elected to a full two-year term in November 2023.
