Detectives Say Their Cars Shouldn't Be Towed

First of all, these cars are not getting towed from infront of a deli, or anything like that. They are getting towed from INFRONT OF CITY COURTHOUSES, while the detectives are inside conducting business. Nevermind that there is no actual parking lot of cops, and that the signage in this areas is both inaddiquate and outdated, but, there just isn't space to park these vehicles legit. So that is why they end up in the "no parking, no stanting, etc" spot... Then IAB comes to ticket and tow em... Also, they won't two a marked patrol car, but an unmarked detective car will get towed... Whats the difference?

They should also be ticketed for leaving there cars idling while parked and for not using turn signals which can be very useful to pedestrians.

What about parking in illegal spots near the station house? This happens ALL the time in front of the 7th precinct in Manhattan--cars with placards park on the sidewalk, in front of curb cuts, in front of hydrants. All day, every day, in a two-block radius.

I have no quarrel with police parking illegally when they are out on an investigation. But when they do it when they get to their office (and when it's the same block all the time), I cannot defend it.

Although offensive parking for no reason is annoying and brings a bad attitude towards cops, does anyone have a suggestion as to where Detectives in Manhattan and other limited parking areas should park?

I imagine the spot out front is not always there like on law and order.

"Ok, we got 'em, now go get the car."

or "you go get 'im, i'll drive around the block until you get back!"

Cops cars are notoriously towed from in front of court buildings and the vicinity of 1pp. Also likely: from near where they live.

Think about who's doing the towing... Would they really sit and observe the donut shop in the middle some random precinct to look for unmarkeds parking illegally?

If the park consistantly in front of the same hydrant or bus stop, there is a better chance complaints will be made and substantiated, leading to a possle tow.

I don't think it's a bad thing to be punished for parking illegally near your home, or if u decide to park like a VIP in front of some club... On the other hand, a cop having trouble getting to court b/c there isn't adiquate parking is a bit silly.

are people seriously arguing that on-duty cops should not be able to park illegally?

you realize this is new york city, right? legal parking is extremely rare on a 24 hour basis in some of the more congested areas. it would be impossible for cops to effectively respond to anything if they had to spend the time following parking regulations every single time.

honestly, i'd rather live with the abuse. having a car in this town is going to suck no matter what cops do. just deal with it.

35 times isn't enough. I've seen cops run through lights and illegally park their cars all over. Once I even saw a police car whose driver got on the loudspeaker and told everyone to go through a firehouse controlled red light so he could get through. It's ridiculous. Cops are subject to the same laws they enforce. Unless there's an emergency situation. There's no need to run a red light. It puts the public at risk. I've seen near misses when cops just think the can stroll through them. And there are signs all over One Police Plaza saying that cops must obey parking and traffic rules in police vehicles. It's plastered in the elevator and no one does it because no one will enforce it. If they really do have quotas, I bet an officer could fill it in one night just ticketing police vehicles.

I got a traffic ticket for slowing down at an all stop sign when the only on coming traffic is directly in front of me. And it was 3AM there wasn't another car on the road. And I've seen dozens of people as well as cops run through that sign without even a pause. It's absurd. Laws are there for all members of society to follow.

Is there any reason why a detective can't find a legal parking space and walk three blocks, just like the rest of us do?

Yeah, its called time. They usually have to punch in at a precinct, then drive over to the courthouse in traffic, and punch in at court, in a small amount of time. If they miss the time limit, they get in trouble...

I gotta say, they've really been going on a ticketing/towing rampage lately. I hadn't seen a single traffic agent ticketing a car in my neighborhood since I moved here in 2007. Now in the last few weeks they're everywhere all the time. This morning they ticketed a guy who doubleparked outside the dry cleaners and he was really only in there two minutes. I was shocked, but not as shocked as he was! I think I heard about a dozen FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKs before I rounded the corner.

The law states you can't double park. It is dangerous and illegal. The law doesn't allow for double parking for a couple of minutes.

REALLY??? OMG thanks for the info bro! How would I ever learn anything without internet commenters?

and youll keep learning more so long as you make non-sensical comments

tough shit, nypd. follow the rules like the rest of the law abiding nyc and you wont have a problem.

'"It's an absolute waste of the taxpayers' money." --- isn't it a money maker if it generates fines?

Are you dense or what? You think NYPD detectives who's on duty police vehicles are towed have to pay the fine? The only thing it does is force them to go retrieve the car and or probably get some kind of discipline internally.

Where do you get your info? As it stands, the detectives have 2 choices. Either pay the ticket, or take a Command Discipline (and lose vacation days). Both are costly.

and as per usual, you missed the point:

'isn't it a money maker if it generates fines?' ASKS A QUESTION. If that is the case fine, if not, so be it. It doesn't mean there are fines, if that's what you misinterpreted.

Ill bet that when their cars are towed, they do not have to pay the extortionate fines and tow fees that the rest of us are scammed into. The entire ticket/tow operation in this city is a corrupt cesspool to extort money from the citizens of this city.

Towing illegally parked cars is corrupt?

Obiously, that should read "towing cars" not "towing cares".

No, towing does care.

Maybe the NYPD shouldn't be in the business of towing cares PERIOD. Like when I parked my car after midnight near Times Sq in a spot that had been legal for years, but was changed overnight into a no-parking zone. The signs were literally changed on a Sunday night, and I came out 10 mins after parking and my car was towed (not just ticketed). Two hours and $350 later, I ransomed my car back from the 12th Ave pound. What the hell is the sense in this? No advance warning, no paper signs saying "new regs in effect"? Let's just rip-off our populace. It's a wonder people who actually work for a living are leaving this city in droves.

Actually the NYPD is not into towing. It's that group of low life illegal immigrants that are doing it.

No, it's the NYPD.

Well, considering it was a tow truck with the letters "NYPD" on the side, and it was towed to an NYPD pound, I'm going to assume it was the NYPD that towed me.

is there a reason why the Union is against this? any reason at all? something, anything. Waste of taxpayers money is pretty broad, I can say that about a lot of stuff.

It may be a waste of taxpayer money but it can be argued cop cars snaring traffic, making you late for a job interview which you miss, forcing a pedestrian to jaywalk because the crosswalk is blocked and they get hit by a car, etc, places a bigger financial burden on the public than 35 towings.

I do love the idea of a cop coming out of his favorite deli/pizza/donut joint and finding their car towed, because in reality they abuse the hell out of their parking placards. Although towing a detectives car while they are investigating a crime, questioning a witness or other such police duties seems a bit much. How you can figure out who's abusing their privilege or doing their job seems to be the real issue.

As much as I dislike placard abuse, I agree that towing on-duty cop cars is a huge waste of time and money. Classic "when your only tool is a hammer, all your problems look like nails" kind of phenomenon. A reprimand and on-the-job sanctions for improper parking would make a lot more sense - in the meantime let them do their job.

Where placard abuse really sucks is when the car is not being used, for instance when the cop is home at night or even leaving the car at home and going to work.

The laws are in place for a reason...when you park on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk, you put pedestrians in danger. If the detective just needs to question someone or grab a coffee, it shouldn't supersede the safety of others. The obvious exception being if the police need to park there to reach someone who places the public in more danger than the police car in the crosswalk.

And the fire hydrant thing makes a lot of sense...I'd rather a police investigation gets set back by 10 minutes while they find a spot than 4 people burn alive because the fire department doesn't have access to water.

The rules are the rules. When the cops park anywhere and disregard traffic laws it makes other drivers think they can do the same. It's park of their "us" versus "them" mentality and that has got to change.

"It makes other drivers think they can do the same."

You are stupid. That doesn't even make sense. If you see a police car parked in a "No Standing Anytime" zone are you going to go park there?

Especially the bike lanes.

very insightful comment. now shut your mouth

Or what? You're going to come and arrest us?

Law applies to everyone. 'Detective'

why do think im a detective? do you also believe felix is a cat? and remind me again who the fuck was talkin to you. this is between me and snoopy so see your way the fuck out of it.

He's not really a detective. He's a retired volunteer fireman from a suburb just to the west of Patterson, New Jersey. You know the type with the seventeen antennas and the blue lights covering their late seventies faded fawn beige Ford Pinto hatchback.

I wouldn't call him fat and balding, but pushing 300 pounds on a five foot three frame is a bit overweight.