The police ticket-fixing scandal has turned into an unexpected drain on New York City's coffers. Cops, wary of losing 10 vacation days for the slightest clerical error, have been writing up fewer and fewer traffic violations and that in turn has meant a loss of up to $1 million a week in revenues for the city, by the Post's calculations.
In the week of July 25th through the 31st, the city issued 12,000 fewer parking and moving violations than it did in the same period last year. And "while parking violations cost drivers as little as $35, the minimum moving violation brings the city a hefty $90. Given that there were 5,468 fewer parking violations and 7,091 fewer moving violations for that week, the city lost at least $829,570." Which isn't even getting into the money the state is losing out on those same tickets.
But while officers are watching out for themselves (Internal Affairs has gotten so into catching ticket fixers they've reportedly been heading into traffic court to observe) some are worried about what this means for the rules of the road. "This is more than a matter of dollars and cents; this is a matter of life and death," Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, said in a statement. "When officers don’t enforce the law, it gives drivers the clear signal to flaunt it. Whether it’s speeding, red light running or double parking, these violations make roads more dangerous, and we’re sure to see more carnage on the streets. This foolishness between rank and file officers and the top cops is putting people in harm’s way."
According to the The Post, the situation has gotten so bad that Police brass are now thinking of changing the way they punish ticket fixers. Instead of stripping any and all offenders of 10 days of vacation, officers would instead be charged three days for "the first offense, five for a second and eight for a third."
