According to a new state probe, police parking placards have been widely and frequently misused by lawmakers and other state officials. What a shocking and frustrating development! It's amazing that nothing whatsoever has been written about this subject in the last three years!
Inspector General Ellen Biben, who launched the probe at Gov. Cuomo's request, has found "chronic and widespread" misuse and abuse of the placards, and is recommending that changes be made as to how the placards are distributed. Hmm, we thought there was already a special unit within the Internal Affairs Bureau dedicated to just tracking down such offenders? Well, we're sure that replacing the police placards for legislators and non-law enforcement officials with ones that say simply "official business" will fix everything.
Among the notable violators in the report are such luminaries as Sen. Jose Peralta, who told the News that placards are a courtesy to senators, as they toil ever-so-hard for them; Waterfront Commissioner Ronald Goldstock, who was caught illegally using one while teaching a class at NYU on corruption; and at least two Division of Parole officials who were on long-term leave. And that doesn't even take into account disgraced slashing enthusiast Hiram Monserrate, money-laundering gynecologist Michael Turano, and the entire police academy! The whole thing is so frustrating, we wish there were some way we could just get our own.
