NYPD Hands Out Cards People Stopped and Frisked

NEW YORK — The NYPD didn’t answer lawmakers’ questions about its controversial stop-and-frisk policy Thursday, but people who get patted down are getting clarification – on a card.

The department has begun handing out informational cards to people police stop and frisk, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Thursday. The cards, in seven languages, list general reasons why police might deem the encounters necessary.

‘BAD COP’ Suit$ Cost the City a Half-Billion

NEW YORK, NY — The city has coughed up $540 million in payouts related to improper police actions since 1998 — and taxpayer cost for such cases hit a record high last year.

In 1998, the city paid lawsuit settlements or judgments to 571 claimants who accused the NYPD of bad behavior. That figure more than doubled to 1,265 in 2008, according to Law Department data.

Stats Say Crime Low Despite Economic Downturn

NEW YORK [CBS] — The economy may be dismal, but the recession doesn’t seem to be driving New Yorkers to commit crime.

The New York Police Department says the crime rate for the first three months of the year is the lowest since comparable record keeping began in the 1960s.

Swine Flu Confirmed in Queens Students

QUEENS [WABC] — New York City was dealing with a growing public health threat Sunday after tests confirmed that eight students at a private Catholic high school had contracted swine flu. Some of the school’s students had visited Mexico on a spring break trip two weeks ago.

Traffic Agent Lying to Justify Tickets?

NEW YORK — A Brooklyn animal rights activist arrested after complaining about parking tickets being given to volunteers at an animal adoption fair is suing the city.

Laurie Bleier claims the NYPD traffic enforcement agent who arrested her falsely accused her of punching him. Bleier says their run-in came after she complained the summonses being given to people dropping off homeless pets were hurting the non-profit Brooklyn Animal Foster Network.

8 Likely with Swine Flu in NYC

NEW YORK [AP] — At least eight students at a New York City high school probably have swine flu, but health officials say they don’t know whether they have the same strain of the virus that has killed people in Mexico.

New York Gov. David Paterson has directed the state Department of Health to monitor and respond to the cases.

Drivers Beware: NYC Cracks Down on Idling Cars

NEW YORK, NY [AP] — An idling taxi, truck, or car sitting stagnant in the street is not an uncommon sight in NYC, however a new city-wide green initiative is aiming to change that.

Regulators Grant Con Edison a $523.4 Million Increase in Delivery Rates

NEW YORK — State regulators on Tuesday approved a $523.4 million one-year increase in Consolidated Edison’s rates for delivering electric service. Typical residential customers will see an increase in their monthly bill of about $6 in New York and about $8 in Westchester County.

Critics of the utility decried the decision, saying it would harm economically vulnerable customers as the region struggles through a recession. Con Edison said it was disappointed by the decision, saying there was not enough money for essential infrastructure maintenance.

The State Public Service Commission also authorized raising $198 million through a temporary surcharge on bills to pay for state-mandated assessments, for a total increase of $721.4 million. The overall increase on electricity bills will be 6.1 percent across the Con Edison system.

Latest MTA Bailout Proposal Includes New Taxi Fee

NEW YORK, NY [WCBSTV] — There’s another bailout plan being floated to try to solve the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s cash crunch.

You may be paying a dollar more per cab ride.

Feds Hit Sharpton with Record $285,000 Fine

The Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network have been slapped with a record $285,000 fine for violating a slew of federal election rules during his 2004 bid for president, the Post has learned.

In a decision to be made public next month, the Federal Election Commission found that Sharpton’s Democratic primary campaign accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from private sources.

NYPD is Slower to Show

NEW YORK, NY — Cops are taking longer to respond to serious crimes, police stats show.

More than half the city’s 75 precincts saw increased response times to “critical” calls from 2007 to 2008, according to NYPD data.

Although many of the 38 precincts saw only slight increases, others had more significant spikes in average response time, including a 42-second increase at the 100th Precinct in Rockaway, Queens, and a 38-second hike at the 13th Precinct on Manhattan’s East Side.

Parking Meters Changing From 30 Minutes to 20 Minutes

NEW YORK — At 47,000 meters around NYC, 30 minutes for 25 cents is being reduced to 20 minutes at the same price.

It’s part of Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to raise an additional $16.8 million annually to help close the city’s $4 billion budget gap.

Mayor Bloomberg: No Link Between Violent Crime, Economy

NEW YORK [AP] — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he doesn’t believe a bad economy leads to more violent crime.

Bloomberg said Monday in an interview that murderers “don’t read The Wall Street Journal.”

TLC to Silence Cabbies With Cell Phone Blockers

NEW YORK [NY1] — City taxi officials are calling all riders, drivers and technology firms as they search for high-tech ways to improve cab service.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission wants to take full advantage of the Taxicab Passenger Enhancement Program, which has already resulted in credit card machines, backseat video screens and automatic trip data collection.

Insane Government Cell Phone Tax Grab in New York

NEW YORK, NY — You can’t hang up on the taxman.

Eleven federal, state and city levies add as much as 33 percent to the cost of New Yorkers’ cellphones, a Post analysis found.

New Yorkers Can Now Call 511 For Travel Info

NEW YORK [AP] — New York state is making it simpler to get transportation information. Commuters and other travelers can dial 511 for updates in their area. They also can visit www.511ny.org.

The 511 service ties together information from numerous agencies. Topics include commuter and subway service, road conditions, buses, ferries, carpools and vanpools.

FDA: Tests Uncover Listeria Contamination in Kosher Salmon

NEW YORK [FDA] — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers not to eat Strubs Norwegian Style Sliced Smoked Steelhead Salmon in 300 gram packages because of potential contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious illness and death.

Distributed by West Side Foods Inc. of Bronx, N.Y., the smoked steelhead salmon was imported from Canada, and 13 cartons were sold to three kosher retail stores in New York and Maryland.