Well the NYPD was caught on camera by the syndicated news program, Inside Edition yesterday, and license plate covers could not be blurred for the TV cameras this time. Lisa Guerrero who swoops down for the kill like a hawk against the bad guys posted a brilliant and outstanding investigative story for Inside Edition on the NYPD's rampant use of illegal license plate covers on the officer's and supervisor's personal cars. Ms. Guerrero counted at least 100 personal vehicles owned/leased by NYPD law enforcement personnel having the plate covers, most of them park in and around 1 Police Plaza (and there are many more like these in the NYPD's Precincts, Transit and Housing Precincts). This apparently was triggered by a story by the Gothamist website (kudos to them too). The NYPD "claims" they are aware of the situation and issued approx 12 summonses to NYPD law enforcement vehicle owners - - must be a joke because that's 12 percent of the estimated 100 vehicles which Ms. Guerrero saw. Oh the NYPD claims they are "addressing" the issue - - more lies since they were addressing this license plate cover issue with cops in 2011 and 2014
Now for the placard of the day (see photos below) - - an NYPD vehicle with an expired from 2011 placard (5 years ago) - - so the NYPD's crackdown on bogus, stolen and abused parking placards going as far back as 2008 to 2011 with at one point over half of placards are fake or abused is definitely not working. Wait a minute, this abuse was happening in 1999. And the NYPD's promise last year to clean up parking placard abuse is all fake promises by the NYPD as Placard Abuse, and others like me are still seeing the rampant parking abuse by NYPD officers.
Another follow up report coming soon.
I am a little older than you. The first time I heard of this issue was back in 1975 when every metered space along Chambers street meant for shoppers was taken all day by personal police vehicles "on official business. And this probably has been going on long before 1975. A news station broke the story and the mayor at that time promised an investigation.
ReplyDeleteOf course it was forgotten about and never followed up by the media. Since then similar stories of police abuse regarding placards has surfaced ever five to ten years with similar promises by succeeding mayors. Now as you point out it is even worse with illegal license plate covers that I have heard about for years.
Yes there will be more promises, but in the end nothing will change because the police believe they are above the law. That's why you will find personal police cars on the sidewalks in front of every single precinct as has been the case ever since I can remember.
This is why so many do not respect the police. They should few setting the example for th following of the laws and not be the example for breaking the law.