Despite a fellow police officer stepping in to back up his fellow cop, he stood his ground and refused to let him park as usual.
New York city resident and bike rider self-identified as Louis or @718_Louis on Twitter, after being fed up with NYPD officers illegally parking on the sidewalk obstructing his right of way, decided to, one morning, take matters into his own hands and stop one officer arriving to work from backing into his usual spot.
Louis captured the entire standoff and exchange on his smartphone camera and posted it up to Twitter for his followers and Twitter users to dissect.
Check out the exchange below.
and because of his age (I had called him a baby). Here's part two. pic.twitter.com/xTrc08Nnbl
— Louis (@718_louis) October 21, 2022
The incident went down on the 500 block of Bergen St, just outside of the New York City Police Department – 78th Precinct.
The police officer is driving a newer model Subaru Forester Sport with license plate ELL6996.
In the whole three minutes of Part 1 and Part 2 the unidentified officer and Louis get into standoff and a back and forth, the officer claiming that, “I am parking legally,” and Louis refusing to leave.
As it’s a one-way street, traffic starts to build up behind the officer’s Forester.
We see a presumed fellow police officer arrive and claim that what his fellow cop is doing is, in fact, legal and that he should, “Go read the sign.”
Anyone with half a brain knows that he was just trying to get him to move out of the way.
Here’s what the sign on Bergen St. says.
His friend then claims that this is “combat parking” which is, “the practice of parking a car by backing it into a parking space” for exit.
As you can guess, there are no signs designating Bergen St., specifically in front of a police station, as a combat parking zone.
The police officer starts to back up assuming that Louis will eventually get out of the way but Louis holds his ground.
And that’s where his filming ends.
A quick look on Google Maps reveals that, despite it being illegal to park on the sidewalk, this habit has been a thing since at least 2011.
In this shot you can see whole cars wantonly parked lengthwise on the curb.
As to what eventually happened between Louis and that police officer, he gave this update.
He eventually just parked in the legal spot and then claimed he felt threatened by me standing nearby on the sidewalk. I had to go to work so I left and for all I know he moved his car onto the sidewalk
— Louis (@718_louis) October 21, 2022
Is parking on a sidewalk illegal?
Yes, according to NY Gov’s own website which lists 100 codes pertaining to parking violation codes, parking on a sidewalk is a Code 51 violation punishable by a $115 fine plus all the misc taxes and fees that usually come with tickets.
On top of that, according to /u/NuYawker there’s actually a memo from the Chief of Department (at 1 Police Plaza) titled, “Parking of vehicles resulting in a safety violation” which specifically says,
“There is no valid verifiable defense for parking any vehicle operated by a member of the service, on or off-duty, with or without a department-issued parking permit, under the following conditions.”
Fourth on the list of parking violations is D.Sidewalk.
In other words, parking on the sidewalk “constitutes a safety violation, and may result in disciplinary action.”
Conclusion
Parking on the sidewalk is illegal.
Hopefully Louis’s video gets enough traction and uproar to reverse this annoying (and illegal) parking habit.
Sidewalks are for pedestrians and taking up the whole path with your car makes it inconvenient for New York Citizens and visitors.
