The recent chaos in New York City involving the Mayor and the Cops Union has taken some ugly turns and dramatically played out in the media. One of the subtle impacts of this mess was keenly felt on the streets of New York as explained by this local news outlet, New York Post.  Statistics obtained by The Post show a dramatic drop in NYPD’s traffic and parking enforcement activities between Dec. 22 — the first weekday after the double cop assassination — and Sunday Dec. 28, compared with the same period last year. There are many ways to interpret the numbers but it clearly shows something is off. According to The Post, police sources cited safety concerns as the main reason for the dropoff in police activity, but added that some cops were mounting an undeclared slowdown in protest of de Blasio’s response to the non-indictment. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association has warned its members to put their safety first and not make arrests “unless absolutely necessary.” This brings to question what is the correlation between traffic safety and the drop in violations during this period. Click here to read the full story.

Image via New York Post

(Source: Youtube via Reddit)

The video’s owner had this comment: “My brother was pulled over by Officer Board. When he came back to the car I asked him “can I ask you a question” he says “sure”. Officer Board arrested me asking a question that he said I could.”

Whatever be the case it is, the cop seems to be overreacting and escalated a situation that did not need all that level of “enforcement.”   I’d not be surprised if his momentary lack of good judgment costs his job and ends up costing the local government/policy agency a ton of money if this victim goes to court.

(Source: Guardian, UK)

Ahead of G20 summit, council told to switch off illegal £15m CCTV network.  While they are primarily for traffic enforcement, according to the council the cameras are “an essential additional tool” to tackle crime and disorder, and have been fixed to strategic locations across the capital ahead of the summit.

(Source: Streetsblog)

Police Say No Criminality Involved In Case of Cabbie Who Plowed Into Restaurant Injuring Seven – “the cab was competing with another car to make a turn when it careened, skidded and hit a pole, then veered into the pizzeria”

The horrific death of a young mother in Midtownwasn’t the only instance of curb-jumping mayhem on Friday. Shortly before Ysemny Ramos was pinned against a building by an allegedly drunk driver on E. 37th Street, a yellow cab lurched off Amsterdam at W. 106th, plowing onto the sidewalk and into a pizzeria.Though seven people were hurt, with one in critical condition as of Friday, and though witnesses told the Post “the cab was competing with another car to make a turn when it careened, skidded and hit a pole, then veered into the pizzeria,” Gothamist reports that “The police told us no charges were filed because there was no criminality involved.”

(Source: Autoblog & Oregon Live)

Michael Harold Lynch was ticketed for doing 54 mph in a 35 mph area that was also a construction zone. The fine was $206. Lynch decided to let his anger flow by placing $206 in a plastic bag, peeing in the bag and sending it in. Upon receiving Lynch’s little care package, the courthouse staff gave it to a police officer and declined to accept the pungent payment to clear the ticket. 
“It was nasty. It reeked,” said Sgt. Phil Anderchuk.

Anderchuk called a U.S. postal inspector to see if federal law had been broken, and learned that it’s not against the law to mail a box of bodily fluids, as long as it’s properly packed and doesn’t emit an obnoxious odor. 

In explaining why the courthouse couldn’t accept Lynch’s payment, the sergeant wrote that “the pile of coins emitted a strong, pungent odor of stale urine. This was very concerning to me.”

Anderchuk reminded Lynch he still owed for the ticket.

“I encourage you to submit your payment in a more traditional form,” he wrote in a January letter. He told Lynch to expect a visit from a postal inspector, presumably to talk about how close he came to violating federal law.

Lynch apparently got the message, because a few weeks later a check arrived. But it was made out to the wrong agency. Courthouse staff sent it back. In February, a new check arrived, but this time it was made out for the wrong amount: $206, which didn’t account for $65 in penalties for arriving late. Last week, the state turned Lynch’s case over to a collection agency.

Click here to read the entire story.