Merry Christmas Chinatown

A Streetsblog tipster snapped this photo yesterday afternoon. Note the Starsky & Hutch-style siren on the dashboard of the SUV hanging off the back of that tow truck. The photographer reports that NYPD tow trucks have been racking up the hours in December clearing the streets of Chinatown, and as you can see in the photo above, they are finally "towing their own".

When we last reported on the 5th precinct’s parking situation two weeks ago, placard abusers were filling up the empty parking spots as quickly as the tow trucks could clear them out. Now, the tipster claims that over 90% of placarded vehicles have been removed from Chinatown’s clogged streets. Ho ho ho!

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Chinatown Placard Abusers Get the Hook

|
It looks like 5th Precinct Commanding Officer Gin Yee, the Sheriff of Chinatown, is laying down the law once again. A Streetsblog tipster spotted these tow trucks as they were removing government placard abusers from their illegal parking spots in Chinatown. While it’s refreshing to see the police "towing their own," the tipster notes that […]

Parking Permit Abusers Being Cleared from Chinatown?

|
A Chinatown tipster sent along these remarkable pictures yesterday of what seems to be an effort to cut down on placarded vehicles clogging the neighborhood’s streets: There are white paper signs posted on lamp poles and parking meters that say "No Permit Area, Tow Away Zone." Lo and behold, there are hardly any cars with […]

Bill Bratton Rolls Back Internal NYPD Parking Reform

|
On Monday the Times published an in-depth piece on how Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is aiming to boost NYPD morale, in part by giving officers more latitude to skirt departmental rules. The Times said such infractions might include “misplacing a memo book or being late for court.” According to the story, Bratton is also lightening up […]

New Sheriff in Chinatown

|
The Fifth Precinct in Lower Manhattan has a new commanding officer, a local boy, Dep. Inspector Gin Yee, and he’s not afraid to tow some cars, even if they belong to his co-workers. In fact, he’s already towed 15 cars, 12 of which belonged to NYPD officers. Downtown Express reports: David Eng, who co-owns Fong […]