Friday, June 18, 2010

Halloran confronts rule-breaking traffic officer


From the Daily News:

A city councilman who spotted a traffic cop blow through stop signs while yakking on the phone confronted the officer – and got slapped with a $165 ticket, the irate lawmaker said.

Dan Halloran (R-Queens) wants his summons dismissed and is demanding a review of every ticket the Queens traffic agent has ever written.

"The traffic agents spend a lot of time ticketing in my community and yet they feel they're above the law," Halloran griped.

The councilman was on his way to hid district office in Whitestone Monday when he says he saw Officer Daniel Chu zoom by, talking on a cell phone with his lights blazing.

"I know the traffic agents have no emergency they have to run to," Halloran said. "It immediately set my radar off."

He said he followed the car as it blasted through two stop signs while weaving in and out of traffic before illegally parking in front of a Dunkin' Donuts, where the officer went to get coffee.

Halloran says he pulled over and began snapping pictures of the officer's vehicle parked at the corner of Clintonville St. and 11th Ave.

"[Chu] comes walking out with his iced coffee in his hand," Halloran said. "He then sees me taking pictures and starts yelling at me."

Halloran said he told the surly officer that he was a city councilman.

"He said, 'Oh yeah? You want to take pictures of me? I'm going to give you a ticket,'" Halloran recalled.

Chu then wrote Halloran a $165 ticket for blocking a crosswalk. The councilman denied he was blocking it, adding that his engine was running and the car door was open.

20 comments:

Ms. Represented said...

The 111th precinct is picking on female drivers in the Northern Blvd. area including Bell Blvd, Northern near the Cross Island, and Little Neck. I'm so glad that I, a formerly "lifelong" Democrat, voted for Dan Halloran. Go Dan!! Teachers shouldn't be the only city workers with "accountability"!!!!

Jordan ARMADA NYC said...

that Dunkin Donuts is in my neighborhood and has excellent coffee. I definitely see the need to blow the lights and make it there asap! hahaha kidding!

georgetheatheist said...

Dan, you can't do verticals with a video camera.

Anonymous said...

Dunkin donuts coffee is overpriced crap. Just like nyc parking tickets.

Babs said...

Good work Dan!!

I'm another Dem who voted for you.

Anonymous said...

What a fucking piece of shit! That's what happens when you give a little control and authority to people who represent the scum of society.

Anonymous said...

Halloran created this altercation for purely political motives. Witnesses in the district have seen Halloran drive down one way streets and parking his car illegally in front of fire hydrants and bus stops, clearly abusing his city council license plate (btw, even those with special license plates cannot park in front of fire hydrants and bus stops). Go back to his violation in the early 2000's! I'm a Republican who didn't vote for someone who got kicked out of the police force after one year. Can't wait to vote for Vallone in a few years!

Anonymous said...

hmmm - verrrry interesting. . . .

Anonymous said...

Be careful Halloran, Officer Daniel Chu might play the race card and brand you a bigot.

georgetheatheist said...

Halloran left his car, in the crosswalk, with the engine running? Seems like reckless endangerment on his part as well.

georgetheatheist said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"The councilman denied he was blocking it, adding that his engine was running and the car door was open."
What does this mean, that it's okay to block a crosswalk if your engine's running & door is open? By the way, I'm all for Halloran nailing the traffic agent's ass. I don't live in that district, but see the brownies park in bus stops or double park in busy streets just to hassle us.

JO said...

Well, Halloran probably gets his tickets dismissed, so no big deal. And this stuff happens all the time. Big deal. it's not officer chu, it's most expressionless meter maids out there. has anyone out there even had a conversation with one of them? it seems like they are robots.

Anonymous said...

You go Dan!!!

Sarah said...

In my community the Traffic Agents are like ninjas. They wait undetected in the the shadows until just the right moment then they spring out and write you a ticket and then slip back into the unknown blackness waiting to prance again. All this in less than a minute. The only remnant is your ticket. I heard they are training them to take the money right from your wallet or pants pocket without you ever knowing it. Scary!

Anonymous said...

nussbaum and schenkler should go to jail for losing a campaign against this whack job halloran.

cherokeesista said...

Their all SCUMBAGS!!! I see cops every single day, talking on their Cell Phones while driving:( Ambulance drivers are the worst:(

Anonymous said...

Sarah - you give them way too much credit. You have to be smart and have skills to be a ninja. You have just offended Ninjas everywhere!

georgetheatheist said...

Vote for Sheriff of Whitestone.

Hopalong Halloran.

Anonymous said...

Halloran never denied that he was blocking a crosswalk; he just used an excuse that "his engine was running and his door was open" ?!? And that means it's okay to block a sidewalk?

Isn't he the same piece of crap that is pro-Flushing Commons and got some Union credits at the public meetings despite it not being in his district?