NYPD Traffic Enforcement Period now through Nov 22

The NYPD has announced an initiative to crack down on dangerous driving, including speeding, distracted driving and other infractions. The force has dedicated 12,000 hours to this program, which will run through November 22nd and will encompass all five boroughs.

This will mean a noticeable uptick in police presence beyond downtown Manhattan; expect more speed traps on highways and bridges, with more unmarked units.

As always, be safe out there and respect law enforcement.

Info from NY Post

Remember That Day I Was Mistakenly Targeted for a Criminal RICO investigation? Fun Times Indeed…

An interesting thing happened to me yesterday. Its early in the morning, about 6:45 am, and I’m stuck in gridlock on the Northern State Parkway. It’s the week after Labor Day, and traffic has returned with a vengeance.  In my rearview I see an unmarked Crown Vic, and I think nothing of it. Obviously, 4 mph is well below the posted speed limit, so I go on about my business.

Traffic started moving again, by the time I made it the Queens line, there is a marked NYPD unit about three cars back. I’m taking it easy, so I pay no attention to that car. I merge with grace onto the Clearview, (because the Cross Island is for suckers) and accelerate into the flow of traffic. Then there is another unmarked behind me, a blue Crown Vic.

At this point I’m thinking to myself, “wow, big police presence on the road today, they must be going after people texting or something.”

A few miles pass, and then a Marked NYPD Charger is on my ass. I mean to the point of giving me a V8 enema, this guy is not backing off. But I’m doing the speed limit, so I’m more confused. Obviously, this guy wants me to see him, and I see him in my rearview, on his radio, running my tags.

We make it to the Throgs Neck bridge, and he suddenly jumps two lanes and takes the ramp on the right to Willets Point Blvd. when he backs off, I see another unmarked unit behind him. This one is a blue Crown Vic, and he is staying about 3-4 cars back to my right.

Now I’m starting to sweat. I got a couple of points from a previous run-in, and I do not need any more. Again, I’m not doing anything wrong, so I am very confused, but the mere anticipation of getting pulled over makes me anxious.

I am now going over the Throgs Neck. I make a bee-line for the left lane to avoid the CIP marge, and the blue Crown Vic does the same two cars back. This pattern continues all the way to the tolls. I pick a lane, and go through the EZ Pass lane, ready to merge onto the Cross Bronx.

BAM! Out of nowhere, a marked Impala NYPD unit is on my ass with lights flashing. Seriously, I had no idea where this guy could have possibly been. “He can’t really be pulling me over, can he?”  I slide right a lane. He follows. Shit. I manage to pull over, on the left side of the road closer to the 95 North split.

I get out my license and registration, and wait. A jolly old NYPD patrolmen resembling Santa Claus with a Glock approaches up to the car. His 9mm is holstered, but his hand is on it, which I assume is typical protocol. My hands are where he can see them, and the exchange is respectful and polite. He asked me for my license and registration and insurance. This is odd. In all my years of getting pulled over in NY, I have never once been asked for Insurance information. He asks me “is this your car?”

“yes, it is” I reply, cool as a cucumber as a slide off my sunglasses in my best David Carusoe. Not my best moment. 

“Are you sure it’s your car?” he asks again, and I nod. At this time, I did not realize the odd phrasing of this question, or why he was asking. So I ask, “What seems to be the problem officer?” I had to yell a little bit, because now there was a helicopter over us. Probably nothing right?

Digressing for a moment, we all ask this when stopped. You could be riding dirty at 80 MPH through a school zone with a pina colada in one hand, yet still ask the question. You always know why you are getting pulled over, but in this instance I was genuinely perplexed.

 “Your windows are tinted” he proclaims. “State law says there needs to be 70% light transmission.  Do you think this window lets that much light in?” I don’t know why it took me a moment to answer. I guess I got distracted when glint of light caught my eye, which vaguely resembled a sniper on the overpass about 300 yards away.

“I don’t know.” But yeah, I actually knew.  I purposely put on 20% tint the whole way around, because having a sleeper with no tint is about as cool as Saved by the Bell: The College Years.

He said this is 17%, and proceeded to go back to his car. He was in there a long time. Despite his being nice, and the multiple stickers on windshield from various law-enforcement buddies, I  still got an equipment ticket. My last car had 10% tint and I drove it for 5 years. This car has 20%, and I have been driving it about 5 years. I have never been pulled over for a tint violation.  

The ordeal is over. We exchange pleasantries, and now I have to merge hard across six lanes of morning rush hour traffic onto the Cross Bronx. I settle into the middle lane and begin to ponder what just happened.

 First of all, three units do not tail you for an equipment violation. Therefore, I am now under the assumption that a car similar to mine had been used in a crime, and they were checking me out. They needed to pull me over. That’s fine, making the streets safer, etc. now I am also realizing perhaps a murdered-out Maxima might be starting to be a little ghetto. I’ll address that another time.

Cruising along, rocking out to come classic A7x on the radio, and WTF THERE IS ANOTHER GOD DAMN UNMARKED UNIT BEHIND ME.

Remember that scene in that 90’s mafia movie, I think it was Good Fellas, where the guy looks outside his windows and he spots helicopters. Then the chopper is following him all day, and he is paranoid. And eventually it comes to pass that he was right and they totally were watching him? Well this is exactly how I’m feeling right now.

Now here’s where things get really weird. The NYPD unit pulls off about 1/8 mile from the GWB, and is immediately replaced; I kid you not, with an grey unmarked Crown Victoria interceptor unit with Jersey Tags. This is significant because this now means whatever these guys are trailing me for goes beyond state lines. I don’t know if was a sheriff, Fed, or Jersey trooper, but odd none the less.

I make it work without incident. Sure, some odd things happen to me during the day; my webcam liked to turn on by itself, “The CIA” asked me to friend them on Facebook, and there was some dude bird watching all day outside my office window. So nothing out of the ordinary.

I start on my way home. I was a little late, because some new I.T. guy at my company wanted to look at my computer and phone. Nothing weird about that.  I’m on the NJ turnpike heading toward the GWB, and out of the corner of my eye, I spot one of the new Ford Taurus unmarked units. These guys are stealthy. The only way to really tell they are cops is by looking in the grill to spot the tell-tale light array. I go Lower Level. He follows. I go CBX. He follows. He pulls ahead of me and takes the Throgs Neck. I take the Clearview. He shadows me. Northern state. Right behind me. Wantagh. This is getting creepy.

So now I’m sure that something is going down, so I call my buddy in the NYPD and ask him what’s up. He runs my license, runs my plate, and my information to look for possible APB’s.  It take a while, but he tells me it all comes back fine, and that I’m just being paranoid. That’s a relief. But then I also realize maybe he actually can’t tell me what’s going on.

It still troubles me though that the unmarked Taurus got off at my exit, and peeled off right before my street. I swung around that big, unassuming van parked on my curb, and pulled into my driveway, happy to be home. 

So that’s my story. Hopefully this is where it ends. However, for the CIA, FBI, RICO investigators readings this (and I know you are….) Can you please do me a real favor and see who isn’t cleaning up after their dog on my lawn? Much appreciated, XoXo.

  

I got 99 Problems and the TVB is one.

I'm driving on the Clearview Southbound the other day. I'm keeping pace with traffic, and take position behind a rapidly moving black A4 from the middle lane to pass a slow moving VW. It was a gorgeous day. The sunroof is open, the radio is blasting, and I feel great.

That is until I see the unmarked black NYPD Charger bust out from my left from his hiding spot.

He accelerates with such fury that his ass actually kicks out as he pulls out from the dirt underneath the overpass to the tarmac. Im not worried. I see him coming, and I slide to the right. The Audi in front of me was hauling ass, so I almost feel bad for him.

Then he moves right with me and gets right behind me, cherries ablaze. Crap.  This is gonna suck. I know im about to get pulled over, so my first move is to roll down all my windows and avoid the illegal tint ticket.

At this point I'm contemplating that I got two choices, yall-  pull over the car or bounce on the double put the pedal to the floor. Now a high speed chase is the wrong move, as I can’t outrun an Interceptor package V8 charger.

Plus I got a few dollars I can fight the case.  So....I pull over to the side of the road, and I heard "Son do you know why I'm stopping you for?"

"Cause I'm young and I'm black and my hat's real low" I said;  this was not received well.  At this point I realize my PBA and officers Union stickers won’t be of help.

"Well you was doing 74 in a fifty (four)".

So I got a ticket. Its OK, I'm not mad about it. I have the "don't do the crime if you cant do the time" mentality, and my respect for police officers reminds me he is out there doing his job. I was speeding, I got a ticket, I deserved it, lets pay the fine and move on. But this is where things went south.

Apparently, in NYC, Buffalo and Rochester only, traffic and vehicular infractions are handled by an Organization called the Traffic Violations Bureau (TVB) which is actually the militant arm of the DMV. This is different than the rest of the state where you get a ticket, and you can plead guilty or not guilty. If you plead the latter, you got to court, where the cop will likely knock it down. Not the TVB. If you dare to plead not guilty, the ticket actually warns you that there will likely be additional fees. They also warn that there is no reduction - you are either guilty or the ticket is dismissed. You better lawyer up if you want to fight because the tickets don’t get dismissed. In fact, it has even been reported that cops get in trouble if tickets are dismissed. Even on the ticket, it basically tells you don’t even attempt to fight this ticket.

In big letters, it tells me i have 15 days to respond, or my automotive world will end due to license suspension, they will kidnap my dog, and write mean things about me on yelp.

As you might know, there is now a fantastic world wide web out there of information sharing that we can all use to computerize our lives and make things easier. The TVB has also embraced this with an “E-plead” function of their website. When you log on using the ticket information, you are able to pay for your ticket and put it behind you. Sounds great in theory. So I logged on a few days after I got the ticket, and it says it is not in their database yet. I signed up to get the email, and they will send me a generated notification of when it becomes available. Great. So I researched this matter, and I found they actually never really post the tickets online in a timely fashion. I also asked one of my friends who works for the NYS DMV about this delay. She was unaware of the TVB’s practices, further contributing to their image as a rogue shadow splinter cell that exists within the states bureaucracy.

I got the email today. Today. I got the ticket nearly 20 days ago. I’m no mathematician, but that seems to be more than the threatening 15 day minimum. Foreseeing this delay, I thankfully dusted off my checkbook, and paid this by snail mail. Now let’s just hope they recognize it, as I always worry about the efficiency of blindly sending something and trusting the post office to deliver it.

But there is one more nagging thing that I have to deal with, and that’s the points. this infractions carries a 6 point penalty, which is very harsh. In NY, if you get 11 points within an 18 month period, you get an automatic suspension. So you better believe that im going to be taking a defensive driving course to lose 4 of those points, and help with any insurance issues that arise.

But I also learned something today. I don’t have to drive that fast. I was never a douche on the road; I never was a tailgater, or made unsafe lane changes. I let people merge in front of me, and I try to be courteous. But I do certainly prefer the left lane and have a lead foot. I think this is a good example of the system doing its job as I constantly remind myself to slow down to a reasonable speed, or risk losing my right to drive. But I am also saving gas, and being safer, which are also benefits. Did I just grow up? I think so.

 

Quota Time - How to Spot an NYPD Unmarked Charger

Last night, I counted no less than 10 cops on my way home patrolling for speeders. This includes NJ State Troopers, NYPD, NY Staties and a Nassau Sheriff. So apparently, its quota time.* Mostly, they are using the newer Dodge Chargers to replace aging Crown Vic interceptors. The Dodges have the 5.7 liter V8 that’s pretty badass, but with a governor.

Before we go any further, let me say to always obey local speed laws and respect law enforcement, because they are just out there making the roads safer, getting idiots off the roads, and putting money in the municipal coffer. Speeding or any unsafe driving is not safe, and is not condoned.

But you should probably know what you're up against out there.

This is what the Police package Dodge Charger Interceptor is packing:
• Zero to 60 mph: 6.0 sec
• Zero to 100 mph: 15.4 sec
• Zero to 130 mph: 32.4 sec
• Street start, 5-60 mph: 6.4 sec
• Standing ¼-mile: 14.6 sec @ 97 mph
• Top speed (governor limited): 148 mph
• Braking, 70-0 mph: 179 ft
• Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.82 g

That being said, here’s how to spot an unmarked Charger. See the below photos, but here’s where not to look:
• Exhausts – Dual exhausts used to mean unmarked. Now, even the V6 chargers have the dual exhaust.
• Light package – If you are close enough to spot hidden lights in the grill, its already too late
• Headlights – They are the same, but never HID or projector
• License plates – there no discernable special codes for law enforcement on unmarked’s
• Suspension –even though its beefed up, it’s not a discernible difference by glance

Note: taxi companies and liveries often buy used police cars for use as Taxi's. In NY, if it has an orange reflector in the back, its always a taxi.

This is what to notice: (numbers correspond to photos)
1. Rims – usually police departments use cheaper and easier to maintain black steelies with center caps
2. Antenna array – most will have 3 stubby antennas or a center mounted CB antenna
3. Spotlight on the river side is a dead giveaway. some taxi cabs leave them on
4. Brushguard / Pushbar
5. It’s what is missing here- the trim designation badge
6. Fog lights. Cop cars won’t have them, as they are always an optional accessory
7. License plate frame - only civilian vehicles from dealerships will have this
8.  Grills - typically, the body painted grill is on the SRT-8 and other higher end packages for the charger, so its pretty rare. you can bet that if the grill is not plastic chrome, it might be the fuzz.

 charger"][/caption]

Creative common license, photo by AEMoreira042281

http://www.flickr.com/photos/av8pix/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

- photo from www.autoblog.com"

The civilian model– images from www.autoblog.com


[/caption]

[gallery]

* disclaimer - According to Police, quotas do not exist.

Broken Down - 2001 Mitsubishi Galant