Last time I saw this was well over a year ago. Just last night I saw it again parked on the same block. So this morning I called New York City Department of Transportation, and two different representatives confirmed that there are only two valid parking permits issued by and to be used in New York City: the white rectangular shape placard with the big blue disability logo in the middle which you display on your dashboard for both on and off street parking, and the blue tag that hangs behind your rear mirror for off street parking. Anything other than these two are not issued by New York City. If you look closely at this picture, it seems like another copy was right behind the first one before it was laminated. So what is this and who issued it? I would really like to know.

I have seen this car parked on the same spot on a 'No Standing' zone on my way to work every day for at least two years (actually, it's not the same car; he had a red Lexus before buying this 2009 model a few months ago). The permit is from the Police Department of the City of New York School Safety Division, and expired December 31, 2009. The permit appears to be a photocopy, with the license plate handwritten at the bottom. It is placed upside down under the registration and inspection certificate, so it is hard to see.

The car is parked there all day, because i sometimes see it still there on my way home. I have never in all this time seen him get a ticket.

Of particular irony is that he parks illegally right next to a parking garage, and that the vanity license plate makes it clear that the owner is very religious.

This vechicle parked on a street restricted to commerical traffic on Saturday caught my attention with placard, photo ID and badge prominently displayed on the dash board. They were issued by New York State Troopers PBA Police Surgeons Group. Not to my surprise, this was the only vechicle that did not receive any parking ticket while all others did who parked on the same block without any permit. I researched online and found that by being a medical doctor of any specialty and paying the annual due of $350, you will receive a placard, a photo ID and a badge customized for you and your vehicle. That's a drop in the bucket if you make six figures annually, right? By the way, the NYSTPBA does not check if your license plate is legit so you can use it on any vehicle. What a sweet deal.

According to the agreement that all eligible members must abide by, it states that "The ID card and placard will not be used to violate or abuse any municipal, vehicle & traffic laws, or penal laws." (quoted from http://www.pbadoctors.com/uploads/Surgeon_Application.pdf) I am not saying this medical doctor has broken any law since no one knows if he/she was dealing with real medical emergency, but I do want to share this with everyone here and let you decide for yourself.

If you or someone you know is a medical doctor and you despearately need a placard to park your car in the city, give this a try.

More photos about this can be found at http://www.photoworks.com/util/slideShow2.jsp;jsessionid=873C5BEA657700A89981E71AC17D40C1?stackID=58669888&cp=ems_shr_alb_pml&cb=PW&guest=true&toh=&svr=pw-web6

An egregious violation committed by an independent member of the media, using a press pass in your Audi to park in the No Standing zone during the morning rush hour in front of Bed, Bath & Beyond ought to be grounds to have your permit revoked. There's plenty of parking in the neighborhood, and assuredly your assignment as an independent journo is not so important as to merit breaking No Standing rules. Let the NYPD please clamp down on its permits.

Four months ago I posted about part-time EMTs with full-time illegal parking: http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/2140
The situation near Adorama camera on West 18th Street has only grown worse. A new type of permit I saw last Sunday displayed: SSAR - This vehicle is on official SSAR business. Oh, turns out this guy is the chief. I watched this search & rescue chief alight from his SUV and walk right towards Adorama camera. He turned around and saw me photographing his SUV, and clicked his keychain fob to run the alarm a bit. Sorry, buddy, I don't scare that easily, especially when you're getting free parking on a daily basis with a phony permit. That letter on your dashboard touting your EMT credentials doesn't sway me either; you aren't on any official business except for Adorama camera.
It's a pity New York State doesn't track how many emergencies these guys actually respond to on an annual basis -- it can't be many, if any. It's a pity the City of New York doesn't crack down on vehicles with invalid State permits -- though perhaps next month things might change with the new permit system. Of course, even if you take 20% of legitimate permits away, that won't make a dent in the illegal permits.
But this past weekend, something remarkable happened: DOT began installing muni-meters on all the side streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues from West 23rd down to West 14th Streets.
Good luck evading those meters, fellows. You've sucker-punched the City and State long enough with your phony EMT credentials. And next time I see you running your siren in traffic for non-emergency purposes I'll call 911 to report you.

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 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.

A very stylish Mercedes using a permit issued to the 70th Precinct seen parked in the No Standing zone near the Public Theater.
Owning an SL500 worth more than most officers' annual salary: very valuable.
Using a restricted-area permit on the SL500 more than 7 miles from your precinct: Pricele$$. Stands out like a sore thumb.

On Pell Street across from Joe's Shanghai, a fabulous free parking space for Sunday Chinatown shopping. This permit strictly notes a 3 HOUR LIMIT, and the permitholder has cleverly covered up the other restrictions with a Detectives' Endowment Association card. Does HRA tell its employees to obscure their permits in such manner? Surely an honest worker on agency business (on a Sunday) would have no need to do such a thing. Combined with the American flag sticker on the windshield, this driver is just screaming "I am entitled". We all know those association cards—as chronicled elsewhere—can be easily purchased. (I remember how retired detectives used to give them out at the office at Christmas time.) Note the sentence: "Revocation will occur if the permit is misused." Time to revoke?

B, D, F, N, R, V, W and 6 trains all stop within two blocks of your firehouse. This isn't tough-to-reach outer Brooklyn or Queens; it's a central location in downtown Manhattan. So you park your Jaguar with an FDNY Union permit two feet from a bus stop in a No Standing zone.

And what do the taxpayers think of your behavior? Shameless. Your Jag sticks out like a sore thumb, an insult to law-abiding citizens. Last week a few spaces down from this firehouse, three fire marshals displayed new union permits that say POLICE in big three-inch letters on the front. Absolutely shameless, and an insult to law enforcement. Other uniformed services take the subway, and sure don't use a permit in their Jaguars. Up Lafayette at Great Jones, you'll also note a Jag with FDNY permit from time to time. If you've got it, flaunt it, right?

Five hours later, this Jag was still there. Proof that some bad apples spoil the crate, or that a few flagrant violators of permit parking should lead to total abolition of permit parking?

Let's say you work in the photo business, such as at Adorama on West 18th Street, where the whole block is a No Standing zone. What to do? Learn to be a New York State EMT, get some flashing lights for your van, a few laminated placards, and presto! You can park wherever you want, year after year (no joke). A number of part-time EMTs daily park their vehicles near Manhattan-based photo businesses such as B&H and Adorama. A review of their emergency-response logs would indicate they hardly have any real crises to respond to; instead, they abuse their quasi-official status to park illegally every day outside these businesses.

[ed. note - this car is also parked on the sidewalk]

How much more outlandish can it get? Seen in front of 104 Franklin Street, it appears you can get away with not having your car inspected (this one expired 12 days ago) if you use a federal law enforcement permit. I've see cops ticketing cars whose inspection has lapsed by only one day, but this guy clearly gets a free throw with his permit. Interestingly, the guy walking past with coffee cup stopped me to complain about how many violators can be found every day on this block. I encouraged him to take pictures for Uncivilservants.org as I have a full-time job and only intend to submit a maximum of one violation a day. But I clearly could have spent all afternoon on this block taking pictures!

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

Parked at least 5 days a week for at least 8 hours.

No wonder our bus system is so slow. This guy was parked here as he was in a local bodega shopping.

Across from Ladder 20 on Lafayette Street and in front of a parking lot sits this huge new Cadillac Escalade SUV displaying a permit "Federal Law Enforcement City of New York" that expired on February 1. The vehicle displays temporary tags from Maryland on rear plate. Perhaps it belongs to a federal officer who just bought this Escalade in Maryland and forgot to renew his permit five months ago?

Well, our Probation officer is back http://nyc.uncivilservants.org/post/index/1276
Doing more "Official Business" all Sunday long in a NO STANDING ANYTIME Except Loading and Unloading area. It's a pretty clear violation and also pretty clear by the Range Rover he drives that something is paying the bills for him. This is NOT A COP and even if it were, breaking the law is breaking the law. Once your start, who determines where you stop?
Oh and the other cars parked in front of him? They had handicap placards. Maybe it was some of the posters from the first thread?

This handsome late-model Audi was parked adjacent to the Olive Garden on West 20th Street at 9 am this morning in a No Standing Zone. At first glance, this Court Clerk permit looks real enough. But then there's that nice phrase, partially covered up (of course) at bottom: "This Vehicle Is On Official Association". The expiration date is conveniently obscured—can you imagine, covering up the expiration date of a fake permit? Happens every day. Court permits are some of the most abused in Manhattan, even when they are real, because they confer very convenient parking privileges. I'll omit the story of the friendly retired old fellow I used to see twice a week using the court permit his adult child gave to him. Heck, when your nation's top law enforcement officer is a crook, what can you expect of your court officers? After all, it's really convenient when there's sleet and snow to park in a No Standing except loading/unloading zone, even if you have NJ plates.

Neither snow nor sleet nor hail can stop civilian observers from Queens from using totally fake permits. This great example parked just past the Limelight nightclub on West 20th Street was tough to read through the rain-soaked windshield. But 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol Inc.? Completely and utterly fake. Nice lamination job. Do note it has the plate number on the permit, and a nice "104COP Restricted" at bottom. Parking close to Sixth Avenue on West 20th Street is very convenient if you are going to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Filene's, Container Store, T.J. Maxx, and/or Old Navy. Works very well in this No Standing except trucks loading and unloading zone—for which of course you would need commercial plates. Also the inspection sticker was a nice one. This driver clearly likes the cheapest way out for all motor vehicle situations. Did anyone mention a permit such as this represents fraud, pure and simple?

What could NYPD Transit-Brooklyn be doing parked on Saturday morning at the plaza? Maybe getting a little retail therapy in at Bergdorfs or F.A.O.? This guy was parked in a spot in which only commercial vehicles were permitted to stand, and then nly if they paid the muni-meter rate. There was no muni-meter receipt on the dash. I guess he can put the savings toward his purchases.

When NYPD employees park their car right in the bus lane so they can go to Starbucks, difficult for a bus to get through.

NOTE: Snow on windsheild indicates that "official business" has been ongoing for a while!

Parked in a no standing zone with restricted placard.