Hahha that's messed up. Damn.

While the Gothamist summary above says "a detective" was supposed to drive this witness, the linked source story at 1010wins says "with detectives" and "they found the police vehicle was gone." Plural.

So... why couldn't one detective walk to the parked car (legally parked a couple of blocks away), while the other waits inside the courthouse with the witness? That'd be safer anyway, because they wouldn't be delayed while unlocking the car, all gettting in, and starting the ignition.

The best way to "whisk away" this supposedly endangered (the spokesman didn't identify him or the detectives, or even say exactly when this happened, but I certainly trust that the story is all true) witness would be to have the car pull up to the curb with a driver already at the wheel.

These guys should be given some security training, apparently.

Exactly!

I always knew the tow companies had their hearts in the right place

Private tow companies don't tow the NYPD's vehicles. The NYPD's own department tow does it. Did you actually think that like "Rocko's Tow Truck Company" was going out and scooping up unmarked vehicles and bringing them to their own shop? They get towed to the NYPD tow pound on the west side highway where they are reclaimed later at the City's expense because the detective gets to put in for overtime for the time it takes him to go from the courthouse to the west side by bus or subway. It seems really worth it for all of us to pay them more money in order to teach a valuable lesson about parking.

Exactly. Why couldn't he just park legally?

Stop blaming the people doing their jobs. Blame those who take advantage of this privilege and ruin it for the rest of you. I have 0 sympathy for cops who get their cars towed. So what? They get to ignore the rules we all have to live by every day.

Exactly. Why couldn't he just park legally?

Stop blaming the people doing their jobs. Blame those who take advantage of this privilege and ruin it for the rest of you. I have 0 sympathy for cops who get their cars towed. So what? They get to ignore the rules we all have to live by every day.

And if somebody had killed the witness right in front of or a block from the courthouse because the detective had to walk him 3 blocks to his car which was parked legally, the public would make a huge stink that the NYPD "can't even protect its witnesses now." Can we all just stop and think about this situation in PARTICULAR? He is picking up a murder witness that has just anonymously testified in court. Why, knowing that he is on OFFICIAL BUSINESS, just park his car right in front of the courthouse for the 15 minutes it takes to protect this person's life? Really is this such a huge deal that IAB has to just teach him a lesson about parking at the risk of jeopardizing someone's life? I am only talking about this particular situation so please hold the "well what about other times when..." comments. I'm sure if your son or daughter had witnessed a murder and was testifying you would practically call your lawyer from in front of 60 Centre Street to say the detective that was promised to you by the NYPD wasn't there and then when you found out it was the NYPD that had actually towed his vehicle, you would open up a huge lawsuit.

"And if somebody had killed the witness right in front of or a block from the courthouse because the detective had to walk him 3 blocks to his car"

"I am only talking about this particular situation so please hold the..."

You misspelled "speculating wildly about".

Why couldn't your hypothetical killer on the grassy knoll just shoot him right through the car window?

Because there is a lot of security directly in front of the courthouse and it is usually coned off to official vehicles. I am assuming that someone would notice a random person sitting in a car who doesn't belong there. You are right though, I forgot about the guy on the Brooklyn Bridge entrance who is 1000 meters away with a Remington sniper rifle. I guess a two block walk wouldn't make a difference after all right? Whatever.

And don't the marked cruisers have the ability to park wherever the hell they want?

I generally dislike cops, double standards, and placard abuse, but I'm 100% with the detectives on this one. If detectives parking incorrectly is even a problem, there are other ways the department could fix it besides going all cannibalistic and towing their own vehicles.

Absolutely. They are on patrol. The marked RMPs (white and blue with lights on the top) have never been towed and wouldn't be towed unless they broke down or something. They are only towing detectives' black impalas and crown vics and the like.

"But that couldn't happen, because the detective's car had been towed."

Or, to put it another way, "that couldn't happen, because the detective had parked the car illegally."