www.qns.com APRIL 15, 2022 4RIDGEWOOD TIMES
Tow truck stationed within CB 5 to curb parking violations
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
After a successful two weeks of increased
police enforcement within
the confines of the 75th, 83rd and
104th precincts, NYPD has added a permanent
tow truck to remove illegally parked
cars in the area.
The NYPD Transportation Bureau will
tow vehicles parked on crosswalks, sidewalks,
in front of hydrants and in other
places that could potentially create a hazard.
This action was taken after Queens
Councilman Robert Holden requested an
increased police presence in the district to
curb traffic and parking violations.
The two-week operation started in
Holden’s district in March, after the council
member noticed a lack of enforcement in
relation to traffic and parking. He called on
the NYPD Joint Visibility Corridor Enforcement
Initiative, which was founded in 2019,
to drive down collisions in the city. The tow
truck operation provides a highly visible
police presence along collision-prone corridors
throughout the city and analyzes the
impact of the initiative thereafter.
After the two-week period of increased
enforcement, NYPD issued 7,264 parking
violations and 1,428 moving violations,
towed 218 vehicles and made six arrests
Councilman Robert Holden successfully calls on increased NYPD enforcement to
curb traffic and parking violations in his district. Photo by Kevin Ryan
relating to vehicle and traffic laws.
“This isn’t a matter of revenue, but a
serious matter of safety,” Holden said.
“We receive constant complaints about illegally
parked vehicles blocking driveways,
hydrants, and crosswalks and causing
problems. This tow truck dedicated to my
district will help.”
The tow truck will operate Monday
through Friday. Holden said that constituents
should still report parking violations
to 311 and share any areas of concern with
his office.
The enforcement efforts focused on
areas along Cypress, Metropolitan and
Pennsylvania Avenues in the confines of
the 75th, 83rd and 104th precincts. Holden
said that he urged the NYPD Transportation
Bureau to take action after his district
has experienced horrific accidents one
after the other.
“There’s a lack of respect for human life,”
Holden said. “I think the Department of
Transportation bears some responsibility
— they need to make our corners safer.
Most of the people who have been killed
in my district have been hit in a crosswalk.
The more you see these videos and hear of
lives lost, the more passionate I get about
doing something.”
In early February, a 57-year-old man was
struck by two cars within seconds of crossing
the intersection at Cooper and Cypress
Avenues.
Another accident took place in Glendale,
where two teens were injured after their
scooter collided with a car on Cooper
Avenue in late February. One teen died a
month later.
Residents have called on DOT and local
electeds to make their streets safer. Most
recently, over 200 residents rallied at the
intersection of Stanhope Street and Fairview
Avenue to demand pedestrian signals
and a crosswalk.
Ridgewood cops shine spotlight on rise of catalytic converter thefts
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Officers from the 104th Precinct in Ridgewood responded
to a recent 911 call regarding suspicious
individuals under vehicles, possibly removing
catalytic converters.
Upon their arrival at the location, officers from the
Public Safety Team took swift action leading to the arrest
of the perpetrators without incident and the recovery of
tools used to remove the catalytic converters.
Theft of the automotive part rose an astonishing 325%
nationwide between 2019 and 2020, according to the National
Insurance Crime Bureau. The NYPD reports that
catalytic converter thefts have risen from 211 to 802 over
that same period, and jumped to 3,705 in 2021.
Catalytic converters turn harmful emissions, such as
carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide, given off by the exhaust
system into less harmful gases or water vapor. They
are necessary for vehicles to pass safety and emissions
inspections in many states and replacing stolen converters
can cost as much as $1,500 to $3,000.
Each catalytic converter is worth more than $300 on the
black market because they contain platinum, palladium
and rhodium, expensive precious metals according to
Consumer Reports. The current price for an ounce of
rhodium costs in excess of $20,000.
Thieves can steal a catalytic converter in a minute or
two, and Councilman Robert Holden is well aware of the
increase in thefts in his district.
“The criminals doing this, even when they are caught,
Catalytic converter thefts are rising in Queens and across the city due to the high cost of precious metals
they contain. Photo courtesy of 104th Precinct
are not going to jail,” Holden said. “It’s always good to have
more police on the street and there is an NYPD program
that etches a serial number on your converter, so it can
be identified if stolen. But the bottom line is that Albany’s
bail reform means that there are no consequences and
that needs to change.”
link
/www.qns.com
/www.qns.com
link
/www.qns.com
/www.qns.com
link
link
