Cops “on Strike” – Issuing Fewer Summonses

NY Daily News

Dozens of cops have launched an unauthorized slowdown of sorts – dramatically cutting the number of tickets they issue for moving violations, sources said.

Citywide, moving summons were down 18.1% for the 28-day period, the largest decrease in 10 years. They fell 22.3% for the week.

It’s been going on for about a month and is tied to the ongoing ticket-fixing scandal, the sources said. Even NYPD data show the number of summonses issued dropped 23.5% in the most recent 28-day period ending July 3. Cops in the Bronx wrote 7,615 tickets for moving violations during that period, down from 9,951 over the same span last year.

The moving violations include speeding, failure to use seatbelts and talking on cell phones while driving.

Fed up cops, according to the sources, are reacting to the Internal Affairs Bureau disciplining officers for failing to properly record summonses in their memo books. Some cops say they’ve been penalized for making the smallest errors on the tickets.

“If a cop fails to write details of a traffic stop or forgot something from the stop, IAB will check the memo book and automatically dish out a 10-day rip (loss of vacation pay),” one of the sources said. “The cop and his commanding officer has no say in the matter.”

“The cops are fed up,” one of the police sources said. “They’re fed up with this ticket-fixing thing. They’re fed up with these ticket rips and ‘productivity goals.’ They’re just plain fed up.”

5 Comments

  • the real world

    it aint only the cops that are fed up,
    so are residents and visitors
    yeah the slowdown is because reprisal are feared

  • Don-t Like Brooklyn

    Tickets are just a money maker for the City. People in Brooklyn still drive like maniacs and have no sense of courtesy, and the cops can’t seem to change that.

    I’ve been verbally abused by numerous drivers of trucks and SUVs intent on running a red light, for the “crime” of stopping at said red light instead of barreling through for “them.”