Ticket-happy city inspectors would have to get the picture under legislation being pushed by a city councilman.
New Yorkers who receive summonses for sanitation violations, health code violations at restaurants and some parking offenses wouldn’t have to pay unless there was photographic proof.
Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx) says the measure is a no-brainer with today’s technology. “People have a right to insist that there be evidence of what they’re being charged with,” Vacca said. “Why have a he said-she said situation? ”
Sanitation workers would have to snap pictures when they fine homeowners for uncovered garbage or unshoveled sidewalks, and health inspectors scrutinizing restaurants would have to photograph the mouse droppings and dirty counters they plan to ding business owners for.
The parking ticket requirements, which would start with a one-year pilot program, would require photos with any ticket for parking too close to a fire hydrant or in a crosswalk; in a bus stop, a handicapped spot or bike lane or for failing to display a license plate.
Vacca said the move would cut down on complaints from New Yorkers who feel nickel and dimed by the city, which collects more than $800 million a year in fines.
“People are basically found guilty until they prove their innocence,” he said. “I want people to be innocent until proven guilty.”
A separate bill to be introduced by Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-Staten Island) would outfit some health inspectors with body cameras to make sure inspections are on the up and up.
But he said it would also aid city agencies by discouraging people from filing false challenges when they’re clearly guilty.
15 comments:
Oh great. The bikenazis are probably pushing this one. Next step will be letting anyone submit pictures and having violations automatically issued. Then they'll just wait around all the bike lanes they never use to try to give tickets to people WHO ARE JUST RUNNING INTO THE STORE FOR TWO MINUTES. Not like the city has parking for us, and not like anyone was going to use the bike lane in those two minutes. GET RID OF THE ILLEGALS WITH THEIR OUT OF STATE PLATES THAT ARE EVERYWHERE SO WE CAN PARK!!
That's an old photo Crappy.
Does it work both ways ?
I have seen sanitation cops opening bags of garbage to look for contraband ; bottles...paper etc. Bad enough to pay that salary for garbage pickers, but I have on a few occcasions called 311 to report that they left a mess all over the sidewalk and street. Their mammas must be proud.
This will only make it easier for people who are inconsiderate and/or pigs to get away with their bad behavior by making the job of enforcement even harder for the city. (Mr. Vacca, please recall that we don't seem to have enough resources for adequate law enforcement already)
REQUIRING photographic proof? What's next? You can't get convicted of ANY crime (like murder, for example) unless there's a video of it?
If we expect the city to enforce laws, there has to be a certain level of trust in the inspectors, police, etc. If there are inspectors/police who are bad, root them out and fire them. Not easy to do, but the alternative of INSISTING on photos of every violation is worse.
This is truly a FOOLISH bill. It would appear that Mr. Vacca is on the side of the inconsiderate and piggish as opposed to everybody else.
Another campaign "Stunt" perpetrated by politicians who KNOW this will go nowhere, but need to be seen as champions for their constituency.
Sheesh!
I can't wait to be able to upload photos to the 311 website. The people in Queens are absolute pigs, including the garbagemen.
The Asians are filthy - they litter constantly and just give you a dirty look when you ask them to pick it up.
I successfully challenged a Sanitation ticket by submitting photos, so I feel like I should have more sympathy for this than I do, but mostly I just see this being very expensive and going haywire because it's ripe for abuse by many parties.
I think it's a good idea. If the agent is there writing a ticket, a digital picture can be done at the same time. Anyone want a contract for selling the City ticket-books with built-in digital cameras?
Any law which makes government accountable is a good law
With Photoshop, you can alter any picture, add anything or anybody, and it would still look real.
Okay, cameras and batteries must first be procured ($).
Wait, each officer/inspector will probably need an extra memory card or two ($).
Of course, then all of this equipment procured with our tax dollars needs to be managed and tracked. ($)
Proper, legal policies and procedures on the usage of this new equipment will need to be developed. ($)
Police/inspectors will need to be trained on the proper policies and procedures. ($)
Batteries must be kept charged ($).
Oops! I dropped my camera! ($)
Hey, where's that extra memory card thing? ($)
@#%! I forgot my camera. Oh well, everybody gets a free ride today.
@#%! Where did I leave that @#%!-ing camera?!!! Oh well, everybody gets a free ride again today. (hey, guess what?) ($)
And the benefit here is...? Think about it. Does this really sound like an intelligent way to spend the city's money?
Why shouldn't there be photo proof?
If you dispute it and there's pictures, then there's more objectivity than someone trying to fill their quota. There are latina women who go around really late at night opening recycle bags and dumping things everywhere. Why should a business get fined because of that? I've had sanitation workers not properly empty out the garbage cans and there's always garbage strewn after their pickups so why should homeowners who work and come home late have to get fined? I was told by one inspector that in my neighborhood, you can be fined after 5pm.
Anonymous said...
With Photoshop, you can alter any picture, add anything or anybody, and it would still look real.
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I don't believe a sanitaion ticketers would have the time, skill, or a license for Photoshop.
Adobe has gone to a web-based model. Photoshops often look very obvious because of obvious discrepencies caught by the eye.
Let's think a few steps ahead.
Here is a scenario that could result if Mr. Vacca's bill were passed:
A man wearing gloves strolls by a lone police officer walking on the sidewalk while no one else is around and throws garbage on the ground right in front of him.
Because the police officer has no witnesses other than himself and was unable to take a picture, which is now REQUIRED, the police officer is powerless to do anything legally unless the man admits what he did.
Oh, THAT would never happen! Really? You don't think some jerk would try take this law and twist it to the point where this is a real possibility?
Anybody who supports Mr. Vacca's bill clearly wants to help criminals.
Rarely are there lone police officers walking around and I have yet to see one issue a summons for litter. That's sanitation's job.
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