A Boerum Hill Jeep owner thought he could pull a fast one on the city's traffic agents by writing a note on his car saying it was infested with bedbugs. Ok, so he says he got a few bites and "wanted to see if we had them in the house by not using the car at all for two weeks." Two weeks? Those things can live up to a year between feedings! The car was still ticketed—gotta feed the alternate sides monster. more ›

"Big Bad Dan" Chu, the NYPD traffic cop who got in trouble for his terrible on-the-job behavior over the summer, intends to file a $2 million libel and slander lawsuit against the city and the Queens councilman who ratted him out. Chu claims Councilman Dan Halloran and his then-chief of staff Dennis Ring defamed him with "false reports" that he drove recklessly with police lights flashing while chatting on a cell phone. According to the Daily News, Chu is filing this lawsuit even though he admitted to those charges during an NYPD disciplinary hearing, where he was demoted to foot patrol. more ›

A NJ man claims that a NYPD traffic cop's terrible directions caused him injuries and his car damage! The Post reports, "In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Diogenes Tavarez, 61, says he was driving his car near the entrance of the Holland Tunnel last November 'when his vehicle was violently struck" by another car which had been 'directed to proceed' by the not so-eagle-eyed traffic cop." Tavarez, whose 2004 Honda had $15,000 in damages, says the cop was "negligent, careless and reckless" and was "directing traffic in said area with a total disregard for the health, safety and welfare of others." Not only is he suing the NYPD and the cop, he's also suing the city and the other driver for a grand total of $5 million. more ›

A cool cup of fresh brewed justice has been served to the notorious traffic agent who was caught by a Queens councilman speeding through a red light with siren flashing while yakking on his cell phone. You'll recall the classic video that resulted from the encounter last month outside a Dunkin' Donuts, where Officer Daniel Chu was confronted by Council Member Dan Halloran, who had chased Chu after seeing him blow the light. Chu was parked illegally in front of the popular donut destination, but that didn't stop him from writing Halloran a parking ticket after he spotted the councilman photographing the cop car. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg really didn't want to talk about the drama surrounding traffic agent Daniel Chu at a press conference yesterday, but WCBS didn't really care. Ignoring Bloomberg's "one reporter, one question" rule, they bombarded the Mayor with inquiries as to why the "coolata cop" is still on duty after allegedly being caught by councilman Dan Halloran running a red light to get to a Dunkin' Donuts. more ›

After Councilman Dan Halloran apparently caught Traffic Agent Daniel Chu running red lights while talking on his cell phone, more people continue to pour forward with reports of Chu's awful behavior while on duty, which has earned him the nickname "Big Bad Dan." Halloran told WCBS, "It seems like this guy is a one man wrecking crew in my district. And yet this officer is still on duty. This traffic agent is still out there doing what he does. The horror stories just keep coming in." Granted, Halloran may have a bit of a bias. more ›

A former cop is speaking out against the traffic agent who issued a summons to a City Councilman after the Councilman caught him going through stop signs and red lights, sirens blazing, to go to...Dunkin' Donuts. Tim Dillon spoke to WCBS 2 about his run-in with Traffic Agent Daniel Chu while Dillon was a pallbearer at a funeral, "The family was getting ready to transfer the body from the funeral home to the churchThe traffic agent felt that they were all double-parked. There was a confrontation - he started yelling and screaming at the family members." more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens) is demanding a review of every ticket Officer Daniel Chu has ever written after allegedly catching him speeding through a red light and talking on his cell phone with his siren lights on in Whitestone on Monday. Halloran became suspicious, telling the Daily News, "I know the traffic agents have no emergency they have to run to." He followed Chu weaving through traffic, and eventually found him parked illegally in front of a Dunkin' Donuts. Chu came out and caught Halloran taking photos of his car, and immediately issued Halloran a $165 ticket for blocking a crosswalk. more ›

Police have decided to drop charges against Chila Lati, a Brooklyn mom originally accused of running over a traffic agent's foot. Lati was able to provide witnesses and time-stamped photos proving she was elsewhere at the time, and said the real culprit was another one of the five Chila Latis in Brooklyn. She told the Daily News, "I am very, very happy. I was counting the days until this would be over." However, this means the real foot-assaulting Chila Lati is still on the loose! Stay on your toes, folks. more ›

A Brooklyn woman facing assault charges says they got the wrong woman. Chila Lati allegedly ran over a traffic agent's foot on Avenue U on January 8th, but Lati says the real culprit is a different Chila Lati who, unsurprisingly, doesn't want to come forward. She told the Daily News, "This is a case of mistaken identity. I know I didn't do anything wrong." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg says that if the City Council's planned five-minute grace period for parking violations goes into effect, there will be "chaos" on the streets. Based on this Daily News article, that already seems to be the case — and the law isn't even on the books yet. more ›

This Chinatown surveillance video depicts a heated altercation between an NYPD traffic agent and a car owner on Lafayette Street around 3:15 p.m. on October 8th. The video appears to show irate traffic agent Twana Chapman striking driver Qiang Nian Zhu after he tried to cover his registration sticker, so Chapman could not scan it. A crowd gathers, and Chapman is seen getting in one bystander's face, as another traffic agent pulls her away. But because there is no audio, it's not possible to verify an allegation that Chapman also made racist remarks. more ›

Traffic enforcement agents are used to getting sneering looks and jeered at just for doing their jobs, writing tickets to illegally parked vehicles. But one man in The Bronx yesterday took his protest of an offense to an offensive level when he got into his violating vehicle (double parked) and just rode right over the officer who was writing him up. The man's 2002 black Ford Taurus was double parked on Jerome Avenue in Bedford Park when he hustled into it and drove into NYPD Traffic Officer Sabrina Torrez, running over her legs. The 26-year-old officer and mother of a toddler is in guarded condition at St. Barnabas Hospital after being treated for broken legs and head trauma. Police are looking for help identifying the suspect caught on a surveillance video that can be seen here. Update: Police arrested Andrew Grullon, 26, for felony assault and leaving the scene of an accident. more ›

Yesterday, mourners attended the funeral of the pregnant traffic agent fatally struck in the Bronx and the baby son she never knew. Donnette Sanz and Sean Michael Justin Sanz were buried together in the same casket; she had died on August while her son was born but only lived a week until last Friday. Wdower Rafael Sanz "broke down" when he was given the flag from the coffin. more ›

Governor Paterson signed legislation making any assault on traffic enforcement agents a possible felony. The Sun reports that previously, an assault on traffic agent was a misdemeanor (up to one year in jail and $1,000 in fines), but now the felony charge could bring 7-8 years in jail. One traffic agent told NY1, "I came out my vehicle to issue a summons, I started and the motorist came out his car and punched me on my head." Police Commissioner Ray Kelly added, "The message here is clear: If you touch a traffic enforcement agent, you go to jail." more ›