At least they're meeting their quota

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/03/16/2010-03-16_nypds_tow_troubles_unmarked_cars_hauled_off_and_detectives_irked.html

The NYPD is regularly towing unmarked police cars - leaving detectives stranded on the street with no way to transport suspects in handcuffs, the Daily News has learned. Michael Palladino, head of the Detectives' Endowment Association, said tow operators working for the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau are meeting their daily quota - four tows and 20 summonses - by towing detectives who are legally parked or who have no choice but to double-park. Recently, a Brooklyn detective investigating the hit-and-run that left a staffer for Mayor Bloomberg in a coma was called to the district attorney's office. When the detective left the meeting, his car was gone, Palladino said. Palladino said unjustified tows have occurred while one or more detectives were: - Arresting a Bronx murder suspect. - Escorting a frightened witness to a Brooklyn murder scene. - Notifying a murder victim's relatives and arranging to take them to the precinct. - Arresting a burglary suspect - who laughed when the detectives realized their car was gone. "It's embarrassing," Palladino said. "It takes our detectives four to six hours, often on overtime, to get the car back. In the meantime, another detective has to be called to come pick up the detectives who are stranded, or that third detective has to drive to court, or wherever, with the other two detectives and wait in the car." In response, the detectives association turned the tables yesterday, tailing an NYPD tow truck and its Internal Affairs escort in order to witness the problem first-hand. The DEA did the same thing last week and even photographed a tow truck parked in front of a hydrant. The tow blitz appears to be a continuation of City Hall's crackdown, begun in 2008, on city-issued parking permits. Palladino has been able to document 180 tows, including 40 from an informal survey of detectives. Most tows, he said, involved cars that were legally parked or weren't impeding traffic. An NYPD spokesman, Inspector Ed Mullen, said the parking placards used by detectives prohibit parking "in front of hydrants or in bus stops and crosswalks." But Palladino said that while patrol cars aren't being towed, probably because people would laugh, detectives are not given the benefit of the doubt. "The department wants us to reduce crime, solve our cases and make arrests, and sometimes that requires us to park illegally," Palladino said. "If the practice continues, escapes and injuries are inevitable." Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/03/16/2010-03-16_nypds_tow_troubles_unmarked_cars_hauled_off_and_detectives_irked.html#ixzz0iOchbduk

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Over

Interesting story, my dad's got a friend who lived in very very small town Georgia, and back when they were teenagers (early 60's) they would walk downtown and steal one the police departments TWO cruisers at around one in the morning and drive as fast as they could backwards around the town square. They would then leave the car in a pasture the next day for the cops or sheriff to find. Longest they ever kept a car was a week. Man how times have changed.

But yeah what neon4891 said.

Ahhh, the unintended consequence of legislation enacted without forethought.

What charges will be filed when NY's food police pat-down waiters for hidden salt shakers and find out they were just "glad to see them"?

Good. NYC sucks.

JohnGalt wrote: Interesting story, my dad's got a friend who lived in very very small town Georgia, and back when they were teenagers (early 60's) they would walk downtown and steal one the police departments TWO cruisers at around one in the morning and drive as fast as they could backwards around the town square. They would then leave the car in a pasture the next day for the cops or sheriff to find. Longest they ever kept a car was a week. Man how times have changed. But yeah what neon4891 said.

I knew of a similar scenario with school buses from around the same time.

When I was much younger, I came to possess an ""Official Business" placard, issued by the city to big wigs. Whenever I had to go downtown, I would toss that up on the dashboard and double park or park anywhere I wanted. Never got a ticket but I often wondered what the meter maids were thinking when they would see a clapped out Falcon, jacked up and mags, on official business.

JohnGalt wrote: Interesting story, my dad's got a friend who lived in very very small town Georgia, and back when they were teenagers (early 60's) they would walk downtown and steal one the police departments TWO cruisers at around one in the morning and drive as fast as they could backwards around the town square. They would then leave the car in a pasture the next day for the cops or sheriff to find. Longest they ever kept a car was a week. Man how times have changed. But yeah what neon4891 said.

I knew of a similar scenario with school buses from around the same time.

I know of yet another situation that involved the Sheriffs 18 (cough 17 cough) year old daughter...

In reply to Wally:

I do love it when the government screws themselves.

In response, the detectives association turned the tables yesterday, tailing an NYPD tow truck and its Internal Affairs escort in order to witness the problem first-hand.

It must be nice to have such bountifully overflowing coffers that they can pay for a special tow truck and escort just to tow police cars.

That's almost as funny as trying to ban spray paint becuase (gasp!!) you can paint a real gun to look like a toy. Bloomberg is just our kinda mayor. Gonna be a great president too. Oh yeah. Good thing he can pay for the election out of pocket change.

John Brown wrote:

JohnGalt wrote: Interesting story, my dad's got a friend who lived in very very small town Georgia, and back when they were teenagers (early 60's) they would walk downtown and steal one the police departments TWO cruisers at around one in the morning and drive as fast as they could backwards around the town square. They would then leave the car in a pasture the next day for the cops or sheriff to find. Longest they ever kept a car was a week. Man how times have changed. But yeah what neon4891 said.

I knew of a similar scenario with school buses from around the same time.

I know of yet another situation that involved the Sheriffs 18 (cough 17 cough) year old daughter...

You would have her for a week and leave her in the pasture. What about a little romance? Sheesh