'Safe Stop' Program Kicks Off In Brooklyn Following Leiby Kletzky's Death
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Brooklyn district attorney's office began placing special stickers in storefront windows Tuesday letting children know it is a safe place to go for help in the event of an emergency.
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The Safe Stop program was launched following Athe kidnapping and murder of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky of Borough Park.
Kletzky had become lost while on his way to meet his mother after leaving a day camp. Police said Levi Aron picked up the boy, took him back to his apartment and then killed him.
The program begins with business owners and employees undergoing voluntary background checks. Those who pass will put a green Safe Haven decal in the storefront window.
Johnny's Pizza in Sunset Park became one of the first merchants to sport the Safe Stop decal.
"It's a good thing to do, it's a good thing for the community, and it's a good step for Brooklyn" owner John Miniaci said.
The effort has been in the works for years but Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said the program has been given added poignancy because of Kletzky's murder.
"It really is just an oasis for someone who feels threatened," Hynes said.
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Renee Giordano, of the local Business Improvement District, said the stores are here to shelter anyone who feels they are in danger, lost or ill.
"None of our businesses would ever turn away anyone in need but this way they have the backing of the DA's office and precinct," Giordano said.
About 45 storeowners have volunteered to participate in the program.
The program is one of the steps the community has taken in the aftermath of the Kletzky murder case to make the neighborhood safer.
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