We already knew that subway fare evasion citations were way down, but it looks like cops aren't much harder on buses. A whopping 6.7 million people skip paying bus fare every year, according to the Daily News, but cops arrested or summonsed just 1,826 bus fare evaders in 2009. As one member of the Straphangers Campaign put it: "You have better odds winning Lotto than you do for getting caught by the NYPD for evading the fare on a bus." more ›

Adding to yesterday's report that fare beaters in the city's subway system have been vastly undercounted, the News wrote today that cops have gone soft on the crime. Only about 87,000 turnstile hoppers and emergency gate crashers were ticketed or arrested in 2009, the lowest number in five years. The police explain the drop, saying they're cracking down on big-time perpetrators, in lieu of handing out lots of little fines. "The department focused on the arrest of more serious offenders," said Sgt. Carlos Nieves, not explaining what constitutes a "serious offender." more ›

A cigar and a cup of coffee go together like tasers and bros, so naturally the Health Department wants to put a stop to it. In June, inspectors investigated Barclay Rex Cigars to check out a complaint that cigar odor was infiltrating the building's upper floors. Though they found no evidence of second-hand smoke trespassing, they were shocked to discover that the owner of Barclay Rex, which has been in business since 1910, was letting smoking customers prepare their own coffee with a $9,000 espresso machine. It's legal for the establishment to permit smoking, but since it lacks a food-service permit, the inspectors issued owner Vince Nastri III a citation, which can lead to fines ranging from $200 to $2,000. Nastri tells the Post, "We didn't survive in business for 99 years by breaking laws. But this is just petty. It's like the city has nothing better to do than worry about me providing my customers with coffee?" And Bill Flynn, a customer who saw the first citation being issued, said, "The government thinks it knows better than everybody; that's the problem." Yeah, next they're going to tell us we can't drink soda, either! more ›