An Unexpected Visit to Brooklyn Central Booking

We've heard a lot about how ignoring tickets can lead to a less-than-ideal stay in a city cell, and the Gowanus Lounge has a story on one Brooklyn woman's recent encounter with "the system". A summons for not walking her dog with a leash and a "free" subway ride were her two violations that collided in a perfect storm, landing her at the Brooklyn Central Booking for 24+ hours. Her main gripe was with the conditions of the place (located on Schermerhorn Street between Smith and Boerum Place):

I was going to see a student in Manhattan. I went to the Nevins Street 4/5 station. The Metrocard machine did not take my ATM card and was not accepting bills! No one was in the booth...I decided to pass through turnstile. I heard someone on the platform below, a cop was there with the token booth worker! I wondered if this was a ticket quota trap.

He was just going to let me go when he punched in my info and it came up that there was a warrant out for my arrest. A squad car was called. They cuffed me and brought me to the precinct in the Hoyt Jay station where they found that my warrant was for an unpaid off leash summons.

When she had originally gone to pay the ticket, it was dismissed -- but this encounter led her to be locked up none-the-less. The accomodations included throwing up heroin addicts, no water, loud music played by the guards, occasional bologna sandwiches tossed into the cells, mice...and so much more. The lawyer of this particular woman commented that the "facility was worse than the men's Tombs in Manhattan.

Photo of Brooklyn Central Booking via Forgotten-NY.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on December 27, 2007 1:52 PM

Comments [rss]

Epiphany James

I do not agree that it is suitable for one who fails to pay a fare to be grouped with molesters,rapist,murderers and drug addicts. But we all Know no one can't do shit so this blog is meaningless. Do like every one else and use your $$$$$ to make it disappear if you haven't already. Use a leash......pay all fares and be happy ya ass got out.

bobby webber

fuck you right wing garbage. you have no idea how poor the conditions are at central booking because you are "law abiding citizens." it is far inferior to any court system I have ever experienced at home in Boston, which is 5 or so. I was held for about 24hours for drinking in public before I even got to see a judge and my case got dismissed just like I thought it would be. It's like a game of musical chairs the way they move you from cell to cell. The pigs kept lying about when we would be able to go upstairs to the courtroom and one hour would easily turn into 6 more. The closest thing I can relate the experience to is riding aboard a SLAVE SHIP. The cheese sandwiches were a delicacy however.

wredlich

Responding to chuzzlewit, you should go to the appropriate Traffic Violations Bureau. Get more information on, for example, Manhattan North Traffic Court. The phone number on that page should work for any TVB office in NYC.

johnieBK

The blog says that the cop was willing to let her go for jumping the turnstile, he used his discretion and felt like her excuse was a good one. The only reason she was arrested was because she had an oustanding arrest warrant.

TKaisen

What I don't understand is how this lady....and the article as well....is acting as though jumping a turnstyle is a small offense.

I would say that stealing $2 is, in fact, a small offense. I'm assuming it was made a huge one in Rudy's burning desire to make everyone a criminal so they'd be in the system.

I keep an emergency Metrocard in my wallet for when this stuff happens... but then, I'm not an over-entitled ass.

johnieBK

"Ticket quota trap," I guess if a cop witnesses a murder its an "arrest quota trap."

johnieBK

So to all the people who think that you shouldn't get locked up with an outstanding warrent, WAKE UP. Should only black people (and other minorities) get arrested for this?? Just because you went to college, you might be upper/middle class and have a fancy blog you don't deserve to go to jail with an outstanding warrant?? Jumping the turnstile is not a crime?? You really are some pretentious scumbags. As someone else mentioned you do the crime you do the time and with this experience will sure as shit will respect that criminal court summonse and not miss your court date. To anyone else who thinks you deserve something better in a holding cell, this is NYC there are crack heads, rapists, murders etc. in jail. You're not in Kansas anymore, welcome to New York. (Man I love that line and it never gets old!!!!)

Big Al72

Chuzzlewit- call 311

JacqueMehoff

I saw an undercover cop catch a few riders who couldn't wait their turn behind the turnstiles and went through the emergency gate as riders were exiting. Three people got caught.

was a ticket worth not waiting a few secs for the guy ahead of you? guess it was.

now you're in the system.

zstone

Actually, hopping a turnstyle is very much a "ticket offense." I'm sure there are plenty of us who have received them. There is no logical reason to lock a person up for such a thing, even with the outstanding warrant, given the nature of the previous crime and that it will cost so much more than the 60 dollar ticket to hold her overnight. I'm not surprised about the conditions, however.

JacqueMehoff

and they wonder why........

petemac

Its a FUCKING $2.00 offense! Total waste of taxpayers money!

matty

maybe self-entitled white people should get to sit in a starbucks while they're waiting for their cour t dates

liulide

buried for "rich kids prance around smith street"... oh shit, where am i?

Novanglus

What I don't understand is how this lady....and the article as well....is acting as though jumping a turnstyle is a small offense.

With her previous unpaid ticket or not, hopping a turnstyle alone is an arrest-able offense and is treated like shoplifting. She's not a victim.

I don't know what she expected.

It's also ridiculous to imply that it was "a ticket quota trap." Again, hopping a turnstyle is not a ticket offense, idiot.

drewo

The accomodations included throwing up heroin addicts, no water, loud music played by the guards, occasional bologna sandwiches tossed into the cells, mice...and so much more. The lawyer of this particular woman commented that the "facility was worse than the men's Tombs in Manhattan

Actually sounds very much like the one night I spent in the Tombs some years ago. I found it quite an interesting experience - but one never to be repeated!

RatherBeBiking

what? you mean holding facilities aren't very nice? get over it princess. i guess she shouldn't have been a dumbass and it wouldnt have happened. its not hard to be a law abiding citizen.

zodak

Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time - Yeah, don’t do it.

And keep your eye on the sparrow.

chuzzlewit

ay dios mio, my blood runs cold when I read these. I missed my court date for bike on the (empty) sidewalk, I'm too pretty to go to jail, and am finding it difficult to get the matter settled - anybody know the direct route to settling a missed (I'm assuming "guilty in absentia") traffic court thingy?