Blighted box truck abandoned on Kew Gardens Hills corner

 

How many tickets can they write to an abandoned commercial truck at the south east corner of 166 street at 76 avenue in queens in the 107 precinct that has been dumped there over 7 months never moving.

 

Maybe the stolen catalytic converters get stored in back as they know nypd won't tow it.

 

Over 14 -311 complaints are disregarded and 2 emails were made to the nypd chief of transportation. Whatever cop or traffic agent is writing this gets their quota done daily with it.

City missing over hundred million dollars from unpaid parking violations tickets

 

Gothamist 

The city is potentially missing out on more than $100 million in unpaid parking tickets and fees from 2012 to 2019, according to an audit from the State Comptroller’s office.

The city’s Department of Finance (DOF) is responsible for collecting parking fines and fees for people inside and outside of the state. But the audit determined that the DOF has lagged behind in collections: after reviewing some 262,765 cases over a seven year period between January 2012 and February 2019, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli identified $108,314,492 in outstanding fines.

“We determine that DOF did not maximize collection of fines and fees owed for parking violations. NYC has large outstanding balances due from summonses for parking violations, and DOF has not always taken timely action to collect the fines and fees,” the Comptroller’s report asserts.

The city issued more than 34 million red light, bus lane, school speed zone and parking violations worth $2.8 billion during the time period covered by the audit.

In a random audit of 153 cases worth more than $2 million in unpaid tickets, the comptroller’s office found the finance department only took action to collect money in 35 of the cases.

The comptroller’s office hopes the report will compel the finance department to do more to collect on unpaid tickets.

This report comes after an uptick in speeding tickets. During the pandemic, particularly in the first few months, there was an increase in speeding tickets issued to drivers, even as the number of drivers on the road decreased.

The Department of Finance is responsible for collecting tickets to cars with owners living in New York City. For all other vehicles it relies on the New York City law department, which hires a private law firm to collect money on car owners who live in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. It’s unclear how the city collects on drivers from other states.

City (still) trying to crack down on parking placard abuse

From the Daily News:

The city has handed out a whopping 160,000 parking placards, to teachers, cops, Department of Transportation workers and others.

Many drivers still use dubious or outright fake placards — and manage to avoid tickets.

Meanwhile, drivers with legit placards park where they're not supposed to — on the sidewalk or blocking crosswalks. City placard holders are also only supposed to use the placards while on official business.

Under the proposed legislation, which will be introduced next week, the minimum fine for using a bogus or unauthorized placard would double from $250 to $500.

Another bill would require the city to yank a real placard if it is used inappropriately three times in a year.

The legislation would also create an electronic tracking system for city-issued placards, so officials will know who has one and whether they've been caught misusing it, and cops can confirm in real time whether a permit displayed on a car is valid.

And the NYPD would have to issue reports on how many complaints they get about placards abuse, and how many tickets they give out.

Are ticket quotas a thing of the past?

From the Daily News:

NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill vowed to discipline any supervisor who puts quantity before quality when it comes to summonses, it was revealed Friday.

“This department does not and will not use quotas for enforcement activity,” O’Neill said in a message distributed to every command citywide on April 28. “Supervisory personnel who use quotas or encourage or reward numbers for the sake of numbers may be subject to department discipline.”

O’Neill said he will also bring the hammer down on supervisors who “punish members who fail to meet a quota, or who threaten to retaliate against any member who reports the use of quotas.”

“Using quotas demonstrates a lack of understanding of today’s NYPD, and my expectations of you as leaders,” he added, encouraging cops to report any allegations of quota demands to the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau. “We are interested in quality, not quantity.”

The NYPD has always maintained that quotas are not used while enforcing the law — although police whistleblowers have testified otherwise for years, claiming cops were ordered to write a specific number of tickets a month — and were punished when they didn’t hand out enough.

Troopers giving tickets out left and right

From NY1:

We've obtained the numbers, and they are astounding. State troopers write an average of 50 tickets a year in the city. But already this year, they've written more than 3,000 tickets.

Police who work for the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority — part of the MTA — a state agency, have written another 2,200 tickets since January 1.

Many of the tickets are for toll evasion, but drivers complain they are also being cited for violations like broken tail lights.

The ticket blitz follows Governor Cuomo's said state troopers would be posted at TBTA bridges and tunnels to help with the transition to cashless tolls, and to help the city with counterterrorism efforts.

Why ticket quotas aren't a good idea

From the NY Post:

The city will shell out $75 million to settle a class-action lawsuit involving nearly 1 million bogus NYPD summonses allegedly issued to meet quotas, officials said Monday.

The massive payout comes six years after a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court claimed that cops were forced to issue the tickets for quality-of-life offenses to meet targeted numbers, “regardless of whether any crime or violation” occurred.

The court case involved more than 900,000 summonses that were issued between 2007 and 2015 and eventually dismissed for lack of probable cause.

The people who were ticketed may now be eligible for compensation to the tune of $150 per summons. They will be notified about the claims process in order to get the cash, officials said.

City cracking down on license plate covers

From the Daily News:

Mayor de Blasio and the city’s top cop vowed Tuesday to crack down on drivers, including police officers, who cover their license plates to block enforcement cameras.

The Daily News reported that misplaced or covered license plates have let motorists violate traffic laws and dodge tickets in at least 144,852 cases over the past two years.

“If people do that, we are going to catch them and we are going to penalize them,” Mayor de Blasio told reporters during a press conference at police headquarters. “This is another area where we are going to deepen enforcement and there will be more consequences. So if someone has one of those covers I'd advise them to get them off real quick because the NYPD is coming.”

Vision Zero not helping Queens as much

From the Times Ledger:

Make Queens Safer, a grassroots street-safety advocacy organization, contends Queens is falling behind the other boroughs in reducing traffic injuries and fatalities over the past year.

The group’s statistical analysis of Queens’ progress in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature traffic safety project Vision Zero finds that the borough is struggling with traffic enforcement and motorist injuries, according to a report released this week.

Queens has faced a 2.3 percent uptick in injuries to motorists and passengers since 2013 and is now the only borough where injuries to drivers and passengers exceed 2013 levels, when Vision Zero began, the report said. Throughout the rest of the city injuries to motor vehicle occupants are down, declining by 7 percent in Brooklyn and in 16 percent in Manhattan. Queens also had a 9% increase in cyclist injuries compared to 2013.

“In five districts (Community Boards 1, 4, 7, 12 and 13), implementation of Vision Zero has been particularly weak and action to jump-start street safety improvements is most urgently needed,” the report said.

Compounding the problem, several Queens neighborhoods are seeing significantly fewer traffic tickets written for these violations by their local police precincts relative to 2013 levels, the advocacy group said. The biggest declines occurred in the 109th and 110th precincts, where ticketing was down by more than 30 percent, with the most significant drops in tickets for cell-phone use.

As part of the Vision Zero effort, NYPD received resources to hire additional traffic safety officers.

“Based on the statistics presented here, there is little evidence that these greater workforce numbers are translating into greater enforcement on the ground. NYPD should provide an accounting of how it is using its Vision Zero budget allocations,” the report said.

Hoverboards not legal

From the Daily News:

An NYPD spokeswoman told the Daily News that according to sections 401-a and 401-b under New York State Law’s Article 14, NY Vehicle and Traffic Law, hoverboards are prohibited since they are considered motor vehicles that cannot be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

If someone were to get caught riding a hoverboard in the street, highway, parking lot or even sidewalk, they could potentially face a fine of up to $200. So just to be on the safe side, it's better to keep using hoverboards at the park and at home — or the office if your boss is cool with it.

Bike crackdown in western Queens

From LIC Post:

The 108th Precinct has been targeting law-breaking bicyclists.

The precinct–which covers Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City—issued 352 bicycle summonses over the past 28 days, compared to just three for the same period a year ago.

The summonses were for a range of offences—such as going through red lights, riding against traffic and failure to adhere to a multitude of road rules.

Captain John Travaglia, the commanding officer of the 108 precinct, said that 560 bicycle summonses have been issued in the precinct year to date, up from 75 for the same six-month period last year. He said the number also included wayward bicycle delivery people.

Travaglia said the clamp down is partly the result of adhering to Vision Zero, a concept that aims to reduce traffic fatalities to zero.

He said that the precinct has yet to have any traffic fatalities so far this year and that this push is to help minimize deaths.

“We have all witnessed it,” Travaglia said. “Some bicyclists are like dare devils; they go through red lights fast and yet they don’t know what is coming.”

He said that he has been targeting bicyclists just like motorist to reduce injuries and fatalities.

South Jamaica scam artists prey on Manhattan tourists

From A Walk in the Park:

A team of illegal ticket sellers has been preying on unsuspecting tourists for years, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The ticket scalpers are working in some of the most heavily visited downtown tourist destinations - Statue of Liberty, Staten Island Ferry, and Pier 15, (South Street Seaport)

The unscrupulous scammers sell Statue of Liberty tickets for between $ 80 - 100 dollars: re-sell used Statue of Liberty tickets: Sell people tickets to the Staten Island Ferry and charge people $ 20 just to enter Battery Park, a public park on the tip of Manhattan.

The group wear dark blue official looking tourist operator vests that say, SJQ Sightseeing Tours.

SJQ stands for South Jamaica Queens.

They have been a fixture in lower Manhattan operating in broad daylight for years.

On Wednesday career criminal Gregory Reddick, 54, of 118 Road in Jamaica Queens, was busted after leading park police on a wild chase in lower Manhattan.

Parks Enforcement Patrol officer Jean-Baptist Joseph, 33, saw Reddick on Pier 15 as he was allegedly in the act of conning tourists out of cash.

The PEP officer approached Reddick and ask him for ID. He refused cursed at him and ran away.

The officer called for back up. PEP officers tracked him down a half mile away in Battery Park.

Another officer approached the con and asked him for ID.

"F*ck off off, I ain't givin you shit," he responded, according to an officer at the scene.

He ran, and the officers caught up to him. He resisted arrest and officers maced him twice in order to get him to comply.

A large group of Reddick's associates formed during the arrest, yelling and screaming.

An NYPD officer in the park said that on Monday - two days before Reddick's arrest - he had received a compliant that Reddick had sold two tickets to the Statue of Liberty to a Virginia couple for $ 409 dollars.

City Council wants to decriminalize certain offenses

From CBS 2:

Turnstile jumping and public urination are still expected to be treated as crimes warranting an arrest, but a host of minor offenses such as drinking in public are expected to be treated administratively rather than criminally.

The changes would come under planned adjustments to the city’s quality of life laws being worked out by Mayor Bill de Blasio, police Commissioner Bill Bratton, and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, sources said.

The last line of this report is classic. Why ask for ID? Use the honor system!

Rockaway beachgoers whine about fines

From the NY Post:

The NYPD is taking aim at Rockaways beachgoers — cracking down on minor infractions such as drinking beer, walking dogs and climbing on rock jetties, The Post has learned.

During the Memorial Day weekend, cops issued 152 “quality-of-life violation” summonses — three times more than the same period last year.

“It sucks! They’re targeting families who are just trying to enjoy themselves at the beach — people who might drink one or two beers in a red cup,” said the manager of a popular Rockaways restaurant, who asked that her name and establishment not be revealed.

“We’ve had cops drive past us on the beach and ask to see what’s in our coolers.”

She added that cops recently ticketed her husband for walking his dog on the beach, against the rules.

“There are a lot of areas around here, where there is real crime. They should put more time into that!”

And maybe you shouldn't drink in public or walk your dog where it's not allowed. Other summonsable offenses mentioned in the report: public urination and littering. Oh, those are terrible things to give summonses for!

Fine mess for Forest Hills shops

From the Daily News:

A couple of missing muffin labels could end up costing bagel shop owner Matt Davidov a whole lot of dough.

Davidov said he is facing hundreds of dollars in fines because city inspectors cited him for failing to place manufacturing information on several wrapped cakes and for not posting a refund policy inside his Forest Hills shop.

“Who posts a refund policy in a deli?” he asked. “If someone complains, I will replace it for them.”

The fines totalled $2,300 but the city offered to settle for $675.

Shopowners in Queens, already squeezed by high rents and a shaky economy, say the city is treating them like cash cows, slapping them with frivolous fines.
But city officials noted that New Yorkers depend on inspectors to protect them.

Some Forest Hills mom-and-pop shops said they feel especially targeted in recent months by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Jim Hartofilis, owner of Dana’s Flower Shop on Queens Blvd., said an inspector walked into his store last month as he was setting out a new bucket of bouquets.
Before he had a chance to put the pricetags on, he was delayed by a phone order. The next thing he knew he was handed a violation that comes with a $500 fine.

The inspector also cited him for missing price signs on an outdoor plant display.

“The wind must have blown it away,” Hartofilis said. “This was ridiculous.”

The ticket came with a cruel twist. If he wants to challenge it, his court date would on Valentine’s Day — the busiest day on the floral shop calendar.
If he pleads guilty by mail, he gets a reduced fine of $250.

Good Samaritan will do sidewalk repair for free

From the Queens Courier:

A good Samaritan — and complete stranger — has stepped up to aid an embattled, elderly Whitestone couple burdened with the charge of sidewalk repairs they say should not have been on their hands to begin with.

Judith Smith, 68, and her husband Everett, 71, were told by the city’s Department of Transportation in June to fix two concrete slabs, totaling 70 square feet of sidewalk, deemed broken and improperly sloped, according to a notice of violation issued by the agency.

But the furious pair said the defective squares are not their legal responsibility, pointing to their house deed as proof. The slabs, instead, are connected to an adjacent community driveway, jointly owned by the 22 homeowners on the street, they said.

...after The Courier first reported the couple’s grievance in a detailed August 30 cover story, the Smiths were then reached out to by a major television network. Their troubles were broadcast at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4, and within 30 minutes, the Smiths said they received a phone call from a private cement company contractor who wanted to help them out for free.

Who is responsible for a community driveway?

From the Queens Courier:

An infuriated Whitestone couple has a bone to pick with the city after they were pinned for violations on 70 square feet of sidewalk outside their property line.

The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) told Judith and Everett Smith this June to fix two broken and improperly sloped concrete slabs of sidewalk, according to a notice of violation issued by the agency. But the furious pair said the defective squares are not their legal responsibility — pointing to their deed as proof — and instead are connected to an adjacent community driveway, jointly owned by the 22 homeowners on the street.

The 14-foot driveway — or “right of way,” as described in the couple’s mortgage — leads up to a parking area filled with 22 separate garages and belongs to each of the homeowners along 147-23 Willets Point Boulevard.

But since the Smiths’ home is planted directly next to the easement — located in the middle of the residential street — the charge for repairs and role of the lot’s sole caretaker involuntarily came barreling down on the embattled landowners.

Open tix nixed

From the NY Post:

The US Tennis Association yanked all invitations to elected city officials and city employees last week because the Conflict of Interest Board quietly ruled that they can’t accept the freebies, The Post has learned.

The perk — doled out for decades — usually lands officials in choice seats for whatever match they choose.

This ethics volley came after The Post first reported this month that state lawmakers had to ditch their complimentary tickets.

The state Ethics Commission nixed the perk after state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens) called the practice to light.

USTA officials declined to comment yesterday and refused to release the brief letter they sent city lawmakers and employees on Friday.

But good-government advocates hailed the end of string-pulling for city pols.

“I think that privileges given to elected officials similar to these free tickets are out of line,” said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York.

“If an elected official wants to go, they should pay their way.”

Rules don't apply to them

From the NY Post:

This city politician has plenty of drive — he just has trouble parking.

Brooklyn Councilman Steve Levin, whose coveted official parking placard was pulled by the Bloomberg administration in April after he racked up $630 in unpaid summonses, is in a fine mess again.

Levin, a protégé of embattled Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez, has piled up 10 new tickets totaling $595 in fines and late fees since his placard was briefly taken away, according to the city’s records.

The placard, among the prized perks of city officials, was returned to Levin the same month — after he paid off eight delinquent parking tickets.

“When you settle all of your tickets, they allow you to renew your placard,” he told The Post. The pass entitles drivers to park almost anywhere, except at hydrants and bus stops.

Yet that still wasn’t good enough for Levin.

Of his 10 new tickets — all racked up since his parking placard was renewed — two were for being caught running red-light cameras. The rest were for illegal parking, with four during street-cleaning hours; three meter infractions; and one in a no-standing zone.

Gianaris bill to stop ticket quotas

From the NY Post:

Police brass pushing arrest and ticket quotas could find themselves in jail for up to a year under a bill that state Sen. Michael Gianaris plans to introduce tomorrow.

Backed by the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the bill would make it illegal for supervisors to require cops to make a certain number of arrests over a specified period.

Noting that good officers are being punished, Gianaris (D-Queens) said, “This bill would increase the penalties when quotas are used to evaluate performance.”

No layoffs means more tickets

From the NY Times:

With great élan, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Thursday that the city did not need to raise taxes later this year. No one jumped up to argue that point.

Taxes, however, are not the only way to trim the public hide.

No mayor for decades has been able to resist the lure of raising revenue with fines, the tax that dares not say its name. During one blitz in the 1990s, the city was ticketing electric pony rides outside stores on Myrtle Avenue in Queens. Around the same time, a driver in the Bronx discovered that the police had figured out a way to abruptly trigger a red light near the Bronx Zoo. They needed to bring fresh supplies of ballpoint pens every day to keep up with the workload of drivers caught running the surprise light.

In any event, the march of time and fines is unmistakable: in 2002, the city collected $380 million in parking fines. The mayor’s budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 calls for $518 million, a modest increase from the current $513 million. These revenues are part of a larger bundle of fines for violations of codes covering areas like sanitation, health and taxis. That sum will reach $802 million, up from $786 million this year and $457 million 10 years ago.

Two points should not be forgotten in these discussions. The city’s overall budget, buttressed by higher property values, has climbed by about 50 percent in those 10 years; and quite a few fines cost more to issue and collect than they are worth.