John Jay College exists to teach aspiring police officers and prosecutors how to enforce the law. Presumably there are a number of courses that emphasize why it is important for all members of society to uphold the law. Ironically, one member of the college community believes that the importance of upholding the law applies only to those who lack the privileged status of a government-issued parking permit on a government-issued car.

The agency business permit displayed on the dashboard of this minivan has the license plate of the black four-door Chevy Impala that is usually parked here.

(See previous posts:

http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/12261

http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/10734 )

This minivan also has official plates, so my guess is the Impala is in the shop and its owner borrowed another John Jay car to drive home for the night. Because the thought of actually riding the D train, which goes right from John Jay College to this location, must be unbearable.

The agency business permit being abused in this case is supposed to be used for no more than three hours, and only for business purposes. Cars with official plates are supposed to be used by government officials "in the course of their official duties." But this car is usually parked all night and on weekends in a no-parking zone. I'll give its driver a small amount of credit for trying to avoid blocking the crosswalk as much as possible while still parking illegally.

So here we have what I suspect is a violation of the use of an official car, a placard use violation, and the wrong placard in the wrong car. Will any of this ever be enforced? Of course not. Therefore, DOT needs to raise the striped no-parking area into a sidewalk extension/bulb-out. The only way to truly prevent parking abuse is to make it physically impossible.

Note the Mercedes to the left that is also violating the no-parking zone. (This was during a Yankee game.) The driver was in the car at the time this photo was taken, so presumably he'd move if asked. Not that that makes it any better.

Since we last checked in ( http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/10734 ) on this apparent plate abuser / placard abuser from John Jay College, nothing has happened except he or she has updated his or her placard after the old one expired on Feb. 1, 2010.

PLACARD VIOLATION:

This is an Agency Business Parking Permit that is to be used for no more than 3-hours at a time while on official agency business. Yet, the car is parked overnight most nights and all day on weekends in a residential neighborhood 100 blocks north of the campus.

PLATE VIOLATION:

This person is using a car that has official plates. According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles ( http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/forms/mv653.pdf ): "A vehicle assigned Official plates must be owned or controlled by a political subdivision and operated by its employees, or specifically designated agents thereof, in the course of their official duties."

It seems unlikely that this car is being used for official duties, violating both the reason for having official plates and the Agency Business Parking Permit. However, there is the possibility that this is legit. Besides parked next to a number of apartment buildings, the car is also being parked across the street from the Bronx County Courthouse. Is there is some reason why a person from John Jay College would need to have a car parked across the street from the Bronx County Courthouse during nights and weekends? It is not inconceivable. If that is the case, I will stand corrected and withdraw this allegation of misuse of placard and plates. Only the UncivilServants FOIL request can help answer that question.

A FINAL NOTE OF IRONY:

John Jay College trains students to become law enforcement personnel. It is a little ironic that a member of that school is apparently failing to uphold the law in his or her own personal life. This pretty much speaks to the larger problem here, no?

I probably wouldn't care that much about this situation if the car wasn't always parked in the crosswalk.

The very next day he parked halfway in the crosswalk and left it there for 2 days!

This guy takes this truck home every night and parks it on the streets of Dyker Heights Brooklyn. Not only shouldn't he parking it on the street, but more than not it is parked illegally, like pictured here, about 4 feet from a fire hydrant. Other times it's parked in front of a church, a school, or in a no standing zone. But NEVER in front of HIS house. And why does he take it home? It is an educational vehicle, not something he would need to take to an emergency in the middle of the night.

Here we have a case where someone who is supposed to use a car for "agency business" for periods of no more than three hours actually takes the car home each night and parks it in a crosswalk. This placard is issued by John Jay College, which is located at Tenth Avenue and 58th Street in Midtown Manhattan. However, this vehicle is parked 100 blocks to the north during non-business hours.

I frequently see this car parked when I pass through there on my way to work between the hours of 6:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. It always looks like it has been there for hours.

This car is parked in a striped/painted bulb at the corner connecting two crosswalks to the sidewalk. No vehicles are allowed to park in this striped area. However, the placard-bearer evidently believes that his or her placard puts him or her above the rules.

In these photos, this vehicle is partially blocking one of the crosswalks. On some mornings, the blockage is more severe.

Parked illegally in the bike lane / (bike lane transfer through intersection)

Though it sounds bogus, this government organization actually exists. The illegitimacy of this placard, however, is obvious.

Van abusing parking permit again prevents the street cleaner from cleaning this area of the street. The driver continues to flaunt the law by parking overnight and well into morning. As you can see from today's picture, the driver parks directly under the 'no parking anytime' sign. How do we stop this blatant abuse of authority? This person lives there, and is not there on 'official business'.

Illegal parking in No Standing Zone, next to school, 2 malls and between 2 merging streets.

Blind spots by illegals contributed to woman's injuries when she was struck down by auto 12/24/06.

Way to go! NY's finest.

Once again, the black Cadillac belonging to a City Councilmember was illegally parked in a no parking zone on 31st Street near Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, Queens, directly in front of Citibank. This seems to be an almost daily occurrence. The car was there for at least a half hour before 6 pm, when no parking rules no longer apply at this location.

These photos were taken on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 5:23 PM. A black Cadillac with City Council plates and a "City Hall Parking Permit" was parked immediately beneath a no parking sign valid on that day from 8 AM to 6 PM. This was immediately outside Citibank on the west side of 31st Street, just south of Ditmars Boulevard. The car remained parked in this space for at least 20 minutes. This is not the first time I have seen the same car illegally parked in the vicinity. Unfortunately the sign is not visible clearly in the cell phone picture that I took, but I do have a closeup of the sign available if needed.

The police precinct across the street always takes advantage of whatever space they can. If it's not their private cars in front of the fire hydrant, it's their three wheeled carts on the sidewalk.

This Honda parks under "No Parking Anytime" sign, male late teens to early 20's exits vehicle, then proceeds to Queens Center Annex Mall. No neighborhood alert was forthcoming that some dangerous toxic cloud was forming over the mall, so I infer that the driver was going to shop or eat. What other explanation is to be had for the emergency park at a school and in the middle of 2 high traffic roads merging? The valid license no did not match the license plate displayed on the vehicle and no date was visible on the placard.

Nothing stops the City of New York from it's daily operations--not even a holiday like Easter Sunday. This official vehicle was seen driving around Ridge Blvd and Third Avenue in Brooklyn on a Sunday until it found parking in a residential neighborhood where it remained the rest of the day.

This vehicle is allowed to park at a bus stop. The two cars behind get the 115.00 ticket but because this person has a court officer permit they don't get the ticket.

This woman constantly parks in front of the same fire hydrant as if it is her private space. Worst of all, she pulls up directly behind the last car that is legally parked by the hydrant (as if it somehow makes this more safe of an action), so it is usually unable to leave until she is ready to move.

This vehicle is is parked on a continuous basis in a No Parking/No Standing 7AM-7PM zone, typically in front of the entrance to 225 E 63 st, where it creates disturbances for deliveries, moving trucks, normal resident traffic, emergencies, etc.. This often creates excessive traffic and double parking in the middle of this busy street. As it does not move for days at a time and this happens repeatedly, the owner cannot possibly be on "Official Business" for the press in this residential area permanently therefore appears to be in violation of the spirit and privilege provided by this type of permit.

I observed seven cars with official permits or plates parked on West 63rd Street across 75 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10023 at 11:30 PM on Jan 9, 2008. This location has a red sign that reads "NO STANDING ANYTIME" and yet the entire curb is filled night after night with cars that carry official permits or plates for overnight parking. It should be noted that this area is completely residential and there are no government offices nearby. A parking space in an area garage is $400 per month. The first picture is a bit dark as it is at night but it establishes the location with the cars filling up the curb from corner to corner. On the right, the park is visible and on the left is the entrance to 75 West End Ave a residential tower with entrance on W. 63rd ST. I will post pictures of the permits or plates for all cars observed.

I didn't check for permits, but at PS 161 in Harlem on Convent Ave., these school staff park on the sidewalk every day; as with anything free and unrestricted, there's more cars parked on the sidewalk now than last spring. Another school 2 blocks south on Convent has zero cars parked on the sidewalk; I never see it there.

Another typical day on West 22nd Street between Sixth and Fifth Avenues, a commercial no standing zone. Many municipalities ticket federal vehicles that refuse to park at or pay for meters. Given the army's budget request from last year, you'd think they could supply their recruiters with quarters and not clog our side streets. (Source: "Today, the Army announced the details of its budget for FY08/09, which covers the period from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2009. The FY08 budget request is $130.0 billion.")

THIS IS A OFFICAL NYC CAR.
OFFICAL LIC PLATE # 16776
HE HAS A COLOR NYPD PERMIT IN THE WINDOW.
HE DOES THIS EVERY NIGHT.
107th POLICE STATION COPS TAKE A LOOK AT THE PERMIT AND DO NADA.
100% NOT FAIR.
WE ARE IN DANGER WHEN HE DOES THIS.

When you work on the inside, sometimes everyone on the outside seems like a potential perp or menace. You wind up not giving a damn. This parking job by state prison guards sure defies logic: three vehicles are blocking the crosswalk, making this befuddled pedestrian wonder where to cross the street.

Come on, folks -- you need to park on the sidewalks AND the crosswalks too? Or it's just so cold that you want to be as close to the front door as possible? Bet it's even colder for that pedestrian, who probably wasn't the only one to try to cross the street today.

This government-issued GSA car has no front bumper, no front license plate, and was seen in a No Standing zone on Fifth Avenue. Makes you wonder what happened to this poor Malibu on government business.... Since US government vehicles are issued two license plates, it would make sense to cancel the remaining plate since it could be used by a malafide individual for nefarious purposes.

It's an open secret that the federal government has increased its presence in far-west Chelsea in recent years. What's not a secret is that officers and agents increasingly are observed abusing our city's traffic signage and exercising poor judgment when parking. There are numerous signed spaces where federal agents and officers can park their official vehicles in this area. There are additionally ample places in No Parking areas where they do not disrupt traffic flow or pedestrians. Moreover, there are ample garage spaces. At 5 p.m. office workers were streaming out of IAC headquarters down the street, and eight people were already waiting for the bus on West 18th Street. Even though there are ample spaces in the No Parking zones on both sides of this block and neighboring blocks for federal officials to choose from, this official instead chose to park right smack in the bus stop, making the evening commute more difficult for commuters and bus drivers alike. He wasn't the only one, either; parked in front of this vehicle was a car with DC plates and a police permit. Parked behind it was a car with NY plates and a police permit. Such egregious conduct makes tired commuters outraged at the inflated sense of entitlement a few bad apples have.

This guy could have parked in any number of empty spaces around here, but chose this spot because it saved him a few steps.

MTA parks in the bike lane to get takeout from McDonald's, and is surprised upon his return to see the guy on the bike snap his photo. (Note the guy on the bike who had to steer into traffic around this parked MTA vehicle.) The "BIKE LANE • BIKES ONLY" sign and marked bike lane were of course clearly visible to the offending driver, who summarily ignored it. As plenty of parking spaces were available free of charge on this Sunday morning, such actions make the folks at MTA look like a pack of sloths.

The employees at the Peter Stuyvesant Station Post Office on 14th/13th St frequently park official and private vehicles on the sidewalk. They double-park their private cars a lot too, especially during street cleaning, and spend a lot of time moving or sitting in their private cars, instead of working.

I haven't bothered to take any pictures until now.

There's also a few local residents with stolen/copied USPS placards, who park illegally with impunity.

I've seen this car frequently and constantly illegally parked in this area, overnight and during the day. Almost certainly being used for private use.

Observed NYC Buildings Vehicle number 953 parked Friday, September 28 through Sunday, September 30 under a No Standing Anytime sign on the corner of Marine Avenue and Oliver Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

City van parked on 92 Street between 3 Avenue and Ridge Boulevard, outside drivers residence holding a spot for his private vehicle only later to move the city van under a No Standing Anytime sign.

7th street and Avenue B.
I've also noticed these guys run a lot of red lights.
Rushing to where? A compost heap?

City van with Official Plates parked from Monday, September 24 to Wednesday, September 26, 2007 on the corner of 92 Street and Ridge Boulevard in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Come see for yourself, there is always at least or two parked over night!

Is there a way to find out why a corner has a certain sign, and what to do to have it removed?

There is constantly a car with official plates parked on the sidwalk adjacent to the State Office Building on Hanson Place in Brooklyn (on the South Elliot side ). I understand this is illegal except in emergency, so is there some constant emergency at that location? The sidewalk appears to be vaulted so it is not just unsightly and an inconvenience, it is potentially dangerous.

Outside the Metropolitan Museum on a Sunday morning, I watched this FDNY fellow browsing the racks of stuff for sale. He kept the engine running a full 14 minutes in this No Standing Zone (thus blocking three city buses, which had to drive around the vehicle). Apparently the three-minute idling law and no standing restrictions don't apply when FDNY goes shopping on the city's dime.

City van with Official Plates parked from Friday, August 24, 2007 through Sunday night on the corner of 92 Street and Ridge Boulevard in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Come see for yourself, its one of two City vans here every other weekend!

This car had a "boot" placed on it. It also has a flyer on the windshield placed there by the 5th Precinct's Lt.
warning that the placard will be confiscated. Apparently the offender didn't heed the warning, because this officer indeed opened up the car door and confiscated the placard!!! I know it's one in a million, but it's a damn great start in Chinatown!!!
The boot remained on the car.

No Standing means no problem for this Army recruiter, who I watched pull up and park right in front of his recruiting center's door on West 22nd Street (around the corner from the official 688 Sixth Avenue building address). Today's New York Post mentioned that in White Plains the Marines finally got their impounded Impala back after paying $860 in fines. It's a pity these recruiters give the impression they are above the law.

Recruiting station at West 22nd Street and Sixth Avenue parks in the No Standing zone instead of paying for meter parking. Since this station does not have urgent national security or military business, it would be proper if they paid for parking and respected the law like the rest of us. Did you read "So Many Parking Rules, Even Marines Are in Trouble" in last week's New York Times? It seems municipalities like White Plains are actually fed up with writing these guys tickets. I support our troops, but I don't support this sort of daily shenanigan. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/04/nyregion/04scofflaw.html

This government vehicle was parked in a no parking area, with a very dangerous, all night long. This person should not be alowed the operate a governmant vehicle ever again. This is clearly taking advantage of a governmant vehicle

Just as in Boss Tweed's day: an official vehicle parked in a no standing zone, displaying no permit at all. One does however admire the noble attempt to use part of the sidewalk so as not to block too much traffic on Chambers Street.

US Government car parked on the sidewalk in a no parking zone.

This car has been parked constantly in a fire zone in front of 372 CPW for the whole Memorial Day week-end. The permit specifies a 3-hour limit.

Handicapped SUV with placard blocks a crosswalk. The car next to it is a town car waiting for someone at the Marriott.

The SUV was there for 3 hours.

Recruitment people take up valuable sidwalk space.

This is the firehouse that adjoins my local precinct on 102 street and third avenue in Manhattan.

Here we have a firefighter who has the courage to disregard available parking set aside for him and take it upon himself to park on the sidewalk. How lazy can you be? Instead of parking on the street he saves himself a few steps by parking on the sidewalk. Why do children have to walk on the street in order to avoid this car on the sidewalk?

Surely, something must be done about this soon.

NYPL vehicle always parks at the commercial muni-meter for the day and doesn't put a dime in. Crazy thing is, the permit was printed on a home printer, no decals, seals, etc. And they don't get ticketed?

WNYW Fox TV parked in the Centre Street bike lane

Possibly City Council or Mayor's office. This car is parked here every day. Still keeps his Permit # out of sight.

Nice to see the local cable news drives hybrid cars. Even if they park illegally.