Occasionally, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly jots down a memo on some NYPD stationary (we imagine it features Snoopy, or Popeye) to remind his force to ease up on low-level marijuana arrests or stop harassing journalists. But a new department-wide memo released on Tuesday and obtained by the Daily News has a much simpler message: do your job. Specifically, when someone reports a crime, cops should take them seriously and follow proper procedure.
1
more ›
Results tagged “petervallone”
Ray Kelly To NYPD Cops: Do Your Jobs
Peter Vallone: Vigilante Dumpster Diver
City Councilman Peter Vallone, trash police! Vallone, a man of many dislikes, totally won our heart today after a rogue bag of garbage pushed him to the point of sifting through public trash. No, really! But rest assured, Vallone promises us that, "dumpster diving is not in my normal day." But it was today.
Add Skywriting To The List Of Things Peter Vallone Dislikes
[Update Below] Though Sunday afternoon's strange skywriting art project confused a lot of people, most of them were over it by Monday morning. But not all of them! Artist Kim Beck's stunt went and made one dependably angry Councilman, well, angry. Peter Vallone, Jr. (D-Queens)—hater of graffiti, unsightly security gates, pit bulls, homework and so much more—thought the whole thing was "plain stupid—no pun intended."
Quinn: Bloomberg's Travels Are None Of Your Business
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is still leading early polls for the 2013 mayoral election but that doesn't mean she isn't still watching out for her benefactor Mayor Bloomberg. In fact, this week she went and did him a serious solid, making sure that a Peter Vallone-backed bill that would require the mayor to report plans to travel outside the country or more than 250 miles from the city for more than 24 hours will not be getting any City Council hearings. Which essentially means it is down for the count.
Peter Vallone's Next Target: Spraycan "Fat Caps"
Do you know where your children are right now? They could be doing their homework, or petting a pit bull, or tethering lil' Scraps to a post for more than three hours, or doing a bunch of other stuff that Queens councilman Peter Vallone hates. But did you know that your children could ALSO be using "fat caps" to take their noxious graffiti to new, chubbier heights? Not if—you guessed it—Peter Vallone has anything to say about it! A bill proposed by Vallone would ban a device that graffiti artists put on spray paint cans to "tag wider areas in less time," The Daily News reports.
Bloomberg Delays Hiring 540 Police Cadets
Five hundred forty police recruits that were supposed to be sworn in this month will now enter the NYPD later this year, a move from the Bloomberg administration that has the City Council and police union angry. The NY Times notes, "The department’s head count is now 34,525 officers, about 6,000 fewer officers than at the peak of departmental staffing, in 2000," which prompted this assessment from City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Queens) in a letter to Mayor Bloomberg, "I believe you can't have economic recovery unless it's built upon the bedrock of a safe city. We learned that lesson in the '90s and apparently we are forgetting it now."
Some More Thoughts About The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
The controversial renaming of the Queensboro Bridge to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge has made former mayor Ed Koch very grateful. He told amNY, "I’m elated! It’s the best gift from anyone." And he was happily surprised with the 38-12 City Council vote, "That’s better than what I thought would happen." But let's review some of the dissenting remarks from Council members like Peter Vallone (D-Queens) and Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), who actually suggested Rikers Island be named after Koch.
City Council Trying To Douse FDNY's "Crash Tax"
After grilling the FDNY over their planned crash tax "fee" in January, the City Council is getting ready to fight it with legislation. At today's City Council meeting Peter Vallone and others put forth a resolution—not to be confused with the one State Senator Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) introduced in the State Senate—which would amend the City Charter to prohibit the introduction of "public safety service fees" as of January 1, 2011.
Councilman Vallone Responds To Anti-Tethering Law Critics
Since the "tethering bill," which prohibits a pet from being tethered for more than three hours outside, was signed into law earlier this month, several pet (and owner) advocacy groups have been calling for its repeal. Dog Federation of NY argued that the imprecise language of the law could "criminalize the normal, everyday activities of caring pet and animal owners and could even drive events like the Westminster Kennel Club dog show out of Madison Square Garden." Councilman Peter Vallone, who introduced the bill, sent us a response to their criticisms:
Pet Advocacy Groups Not Thrilled With Anti-Tethering Bill
Last month, the New York City Council passed the "tethering bill," which now prohibits a pet from being tethered for more than three hours outside. The bill, which was introduced by Councilman Peter Vallone, was signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg at the start of the month, but it seems many pet lovers are actually not thrilled by its passing. Dog Federation of NY, a dog owner advocacy group, sent us an email today which read: "The sweeping language will criminalize the normal, everyday activities of caring pet and animal owners and could even drive events like the Westminster Kennel Club dog show out of Madison Square Garden. We are calling for a repeal."
The Ed Koch Municipal Building?
City Councilman Peter Vallone has already made clear that he doesn't want to rename the Queensboro Bridge after former Mayor Ed Koch (something about wanting the same respect the Brooklyn Bridge gets) but y'know what he'd be fine with naming after the part-time film critic? The Municipal Building.
NYC Council Passes Pet "Tethering Bill"
Last month, Councilman Peter Vallone introduced a bill that would bar pet owners from tethering their animals outside for longer than three hours in a continuous 12-hour period. Today, New York City Council passed the "tethering bill" 47-1, which will now prohibit a pet from being tethered for more than three hours, as well as prohibit the use of a tether that is too heavy, choke or pinch collars, or one that would become entangled. Owners face $250 fine for first violations, and $500 fine or three months in jail for repeat offenses.
Joan Rivers Supports Bitches, Hates Sons Of Bitches
The City Council recently introduced a new measure that would bar dog owners from tethering their pets outside for longer than three hours. It's a measure that was previously proposed by Councilman Peter Vallone almost four years ago, but has been shot down time and again because of logistical concerns. So who will come to the aid of our bitches? Who else: Joan Rivers.
New Bill Would Put Three Hour Limit On Dog Tethering
Recently, we wondered whether leaving your dog outside for long periods of time in sub-freezing weather could be considered animal cruelty. It seems that the city council was pondering a similar question: this week, a new measure was proposed that would bar dog owners from tethering their pets outside for longer than three hours in a continuous 12-hour period.
FDNY in Hot Water Over Proposed Fees
The FDNY's plan to start charging drivers who get into accidents is, how do we say this, not so popular in the City Council. Yesterday Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano went before the council at a budget hearing and was, pardon us, raked over the coals for the plan. Councilman Vincent Ignizio (R-S.I.) was particularly incensed over the idea calling it an accident tax that he hoped would be "dead on arrival."
Officials Blast Primary Day Shitshow
Politicians slammed The Board of Elections yesterday for the confusion, malfunctions and disorder that defined the debut of the city's new optical scanning voting machines on Primary Day. And along with the public shaming of board director George Gonzalez, new revelations came to light about why so much went sideways that day. Take this, for instance: about 80 polling places at public schools opened late after long delays. Why? Well, for starters, Gonzalez didn't e-mail school administrators to request that custodians come in early to open the schools until 5:36 p.m. the night before the frickin' election!
To Vallone, 15 Penn Plaza Will Be "Mother Teresa Tower"
Speaking before the City Council gave a green light to the 15 Penn Plaza skyscraper plan, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. told the NY Post, "I'm willing to vote based solely on the merits, but I just happen to be very happy that the merits are not on the side of the Empire State Building." Why is Vallone so anti-ESB? Well, he's still annoyed the Empire State Building wouldn't light up in honor of Mother Teresa tonight!
NYPD: Obama Motorcade Bike Seizure Was Poorly Handled
You may recall that back in April, City Councilman Peter Vallone sent a letter to NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly seeking an explanation for the NYPD's unannounced seizure of dozens of bicycles on Houston Street along President Obama's motorcade route. Lo and behold, Kelly has responded, and even more shocking, the top cop has admitted that the whole thing was handled sloppily.
Poletti Power Plant Closes at 11:59 Tonight
Good riddance! A dirty old Queens power plant will close tonight at 11:59 on the dot. The Charles Poletti Power Project in Astoria was built in the mid-1970’s and could burn both oil and natural gas. But in 2002 after the EPA called it out as one of the city’s major polluters, Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. filed a lawsuit against the plant, that resulted in today’s shut-down. According to Fox 5, Vallone called the closure a breath of fresh air.
Officials Want Smack Safety Guide Withdrawn
The war against the Heroin How-To guide rages on, with Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. lobbying for the 17-page brochure to be destroyed... though it's been in circulation for nearly two years.
NYPD Vows to Keep Database Of People Stopped, Frisked And Let Go
More than 85% of people stopped and frisked by the NYPD are released without an arrest or summons. But just because the police let you go, doesn't mean they forget all about you! The NYPD maintains a database of more than 500,000 people stopped, questioned, frisked, and released each year. And Councilman Peter Vallone wants the department to hit delete.
Vallone Fights "Unsightly" Security Gates
The unstoppable Peter Vallone, Jr. is at it again, fighting for a squeaky clean city that's free from both stuntmen and spray paint! With Jeb Corliss safely tucked away in California, his latest target is "unsightly metal shudders," according to NY1. Sure those security gates may protect stores from vandals and thieves, but Vallone contends they also encourage graffiti (which is on the rise in the city). As a solution "he wants to require all new gates sold and installed in the city to be at least 70 percent see through," something he believes would bring graffiti down 80 percent, even though glass is easily marked (though in all likelihood the graffiti writers will just spread the love elsewhere).
Video of the Day: Colbert Confronts Chalkitti Menace
Stephen Colbert continued his new feature on The Colbert Report program called "Nailed 'Em," in which the television host hopes to overcome the niceties of the legal system with skillful editing and generous amounts of innuendo. This week's subject was Brooklyn's own graffiti "punk," 6-year-old Natalie Shea.
Courts Bring Corliss Back Down to Earth
Would-be Empire State Building jumper, Jeb Corliss (pictured), isn't in the clear yet. Last year's decision from Supreme Court Justice Michael Ambrecht to dismiss the charges against him was overturned yesterday when The Supreme Court Appellate Division decided to bring the case back to life.
Jeb Corliss Responds to Vallone's "No Jump" Bill
Yesterday we noted Council Member Peter Vallone Jr.'s latest mission: putting an end to stunts. Of course, one of the best examples of this daredevil activity is brought to us by Jeb Corliss; after attempting to jump off the Empire State Building in 2006 Bloomberg wasn't too happy with this thrill-seeker. Or the judge that dropped the charges against him. But now the city is revisiting the case and trying to appeal the decision.
Vallone Says "No" to Stunts
Queens Council Member Peter Vallone Jr. has introduced a bill that would have Evel Knievel rolling in his grave. If it becomes law, stunt men are going to have a tough time working on their craft in New York, as it would outlaw climbing and jumping off any structure taller than 25 feet; daredevils could get fined and spend up to a year in jail. Alain Robert is not going to be happy about this (video).
New Energy Drink Promotes Vandalism?
Remember AriZona Iced Tea? Well, its made a cross-country image trip and landed in the heart of NYC with its new energy drink called All City NRG (you know, like the subway lines). As you can see, the cans are all tagged up, and their promo van is similarly decorated -- though it's sort of camouflaged when parked in the streets of Bushwick, no?
It's That Time Again - Time to Talk NYC Secession
With Mayor Bloomberg up in Albany deriding Gov. Spitzer for bilking the city out of $500 million in promised funding, it's no wonder that the perennial call for secession has arisen.
Bitten by Family's Doberman, Brooklyn Baby Dies
Oh no! An 8-month-old baby bitten by a family dog was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.
Stiffer Penalties for Flashers
On Wednesday the City Council passed a law that we're calling "The Dan Hoyt Law". It will "target individuals who commit lewd acts in public more than once in a three year period," which will allow judges to give flashers a harsher sentence, up to a year in jail and three years of probation, on top of a $1,000 fine.
"We are moving to punish a pattern of behavior that is not only disgusting but dangerous. Those who repeatedly expose themselves to others for their own amusement could one day take their perversion even further," the bill's sponsor, City Council member Peter Vallone, said yesterday. "If they want to expose themselves we'll expose them to the full extent of the law."Two years ago a cameraphone picture of raw food guru and "subway pleasurer", Dan Hoyt (pictured), started a media frenzy and helped in his arrest -- though he only received two years probation.
send a tip
tips@gothamist.comsubscribe
Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Gothamist.