In what will surely be a blow to the city's sledgehammer-for-hire businesses, a new series of high tech immobilizing wheel boots will be applied to parking violators' cars that will allow them to remove the device themselves once they pay their fine, The Post reports. more ›

All those out-of-state jerks who take up the city's precious parking spots are finally getting their comeuppance. Law Enforcement Systems has provided the city with records from other states so the NYPD can track down past offenders. The Finance Department reported $18 million from Connecticut and Pennsylvania in the past six months, and now has no reason not to tow cars from over a dozen states. more ›

NYPD detectives claim a police tow truck unit unfairly picks up their unmarked cars while ignoring illegally parked squad cars—a policy the detectives say allows tow truck operators to reach their quotas without shaming the force by hauling away patrol cars. "The department wants us to reduce crime, solve our cases and make arrests, and sometimes that requires us to park illegally," said Michael Palladino, head of the Detectives' Endowment Association. "If the practice continues, escapes and injuries are inevitable." more ›

Despite their uber cheap ticket prices, Chinatown bus companies are often shredded by complaints from riders for their recklessness and neighborhood residents for their blatant clogging of the area's already congested streets. According to amNewYork, the NYPD has finally stepped in: towing 11 buses and handing out 63 summonses on August 14, 20 and 21. This comes after it was revealed that most bus companies owe an average of $5,600 in fines. One company in particular, New Century Travel, takes the cake owing a whopping $136,387.35. Most of their tickets even date back to July 2007! "It's way overdue...This cannot be a one-time thing," Susan Stetzer, district manager for Manhattan's Community Board 3, said of the towing effort. "They're using public streets as their locations to make money as a private business and on top of it, they're not even paying fines. It's a loss of revenue for the city." The buses have been called "purgatory on wheels," and solutions for their vehicular messes have been thrown around for years now— one of which was creating a terminal to house them— but to no avail. more ›

If only the Post could shed its righteous light on every injustice: After yesterday's scoop on the guy whose Mitsubishi was towed after the DOT moved a diplomats-only parking sign, the mayor himself has ordered a full refund! On Thursday morning Shavit Mekeiten parked his car on East 41st Street near the New Zealand Consulate, but later workers dug out the diplomats-only sign and moved it fifteen feet, rendering Mekeiten's spot illegal. Soon an NYPD tow truck hauled the car away, and Mekeiten had to pay the $185 tow fee plus a $95 ticket for not having diplomatic plates. After hearing about the incident yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg responded, "I think it is obvious that it is unfair for him to pay a ticket. So, you can rest assured he will be provided with a full refund and our apologies for the inconvenience." But what about all the unfair towing you don't read about in the tabloids? The City Council is actually considering a bill requiring city workers post signs notifying drivers about parking rule changes, but until then our only hope is the Post's constant vigilance. more ›

NYPD tow truck drivers say they're being pressured to meet a quota of four tows per shift—or else they're punished with less overtime, assigned undesirable shifts, or have their time-off requests delayed. One veteran driver tells the Post, "You have to get your number. That's it. If you don't get that number, you know that when you roll into the pound, the bosses will be all over you." Another source says, "If it's a judgment call, we'll frequently go against the driver for that reason. It's screw them or screw me. Either way, someone's getting screwed." As of early July, 69,419 cars were towed this year, putting the NYPD on track to impound 138,838 vehicles by year's end. There was a 13 percent increase in tows between 2007 and 2008, for a grand total of 136,632. At the Manhattan tow lot, incensed driver Elizabeth Gillies of the Upper West Side tells the Post, "It's disgusting, absolutely beyond disgusting. It's been getting bad lately. They have no respect for people." But an NYPD spokesman Ed Mullens insists it "is absolutely not true" that there is four-car per driver quota, and denied any policy of screw or get screwed. more ›