These Brooklyn cops made the error of pulling over and handing out bogus visitors tickets to the incorrect reporter.
My driving drama started April 12, a vibrant Sunday afternoon, throughout a visit to the gymnasium for a fast exercise. I used to be rudely interrupted at Fourth Avenue and 86th Avenue in Bay Ridge by a couple of half-dozen younger NYPD officers who stated they pulled me over for a “random traffic-safety verify.”
After making me wait 20 minutes, a feminine officer shlepped out of a police automotive and slapped me with two summonses. They had been for having “unlawful” dealership frames on the entrance and rear license plates of my 2019 Infiniti.
I used to be shocked. I really laughed, and informed her she have to be misinterpreting the legislation.
I stated I won’t be a lawyer, however as a New York Put up reporter, I’m very accustomed to new legal guidelines prohibiting drivers from utilizing ghost plates, clear plastic coverings and different strategies to dam plates from being learn by purple gentle, rushing and toll cameras.
However not vendor frames, which don’t impede the plates, and are most likely on about half of all NYC automobiles. On the block the place I used to be pulled over, there have been a dozen automobiles with vendor frames, I identified.
Then I requested her — and a crew of different fresh-faced cops who started surrounding me like ticket-quota vultures — what made my state of affairs any totally different.
The officers acquired hissy, stated they weren’t going to debate, and one male cop threatened to provide me one other ticket if I didn’t simply drive away.
So I did – straight to the 68th Precinct stationhouse a mile away.
I confirmed the rating officer on responsibility each summonses – which had been so sloppily scrawled that I couldn’t make out the precise prices or potential fines.
He walked exterior to verify my license plates and admitted the tickets ought to by no means have been written.
He assured me the officers can be “retrained” as a result of the legislation permits plate covers — supplied, like mine, they don’t block numbers and letters on the plate.
He apologized however stated he didn’t have the ability to toss the tickets — which had been about to value me greater than $300 in fines and surcharges.
On Friday, I lastly had my day in court docket – a small listening to room on the state Division of Motor Automobiles workplace in Coney Island earlier than an affiliate administrative legislation choose.
I used to be nonetheless offended about these petty and unfair tickets — and was able to channel my internal Harvey Specter, the fictional lawyer from “Fits.”
I used to be up late the night time earlier than, vigilantly rehearsing what can be a spirited protection, full with evidentiary photographs and statutory citations.
However I barely acquired a phrase in edgewise.
The officer, Tiffany Ruiz, confirmed up in uniform sporting sun shades, however eliminated them shortly earlier than the 2 of us had been known as as much as deal with Choose Perry Bohmstein.
Ruiz, an NYPD cop since 2024 who data present pocketed $77,228 with time beyond regulation final 12 months, went first and flat-out lied — or had a reminiscence fart.
She claimed my plates had been “soiled and lined by plastic” – by no means mentioning our debate over the legality of dealership frames.
Whereas the plates’ cleanliness was open to interpretation, the concept that I ever had clear plastic plate covers – like those a lot of her fellow cops have infamously used on their personal automobiles for years to keep away from digital camera tickets – was not true.
I used to be able to pounce.
However Bohmstein stopped the officer in the course of her testimony — dismissing each tickets on the spot.
I used to be thrilled — but unhappy. I blurted out that I had an entire case ready.
“You don’t get to make the speech now!” the cranky, however clearly truthful, choose barked, earlier than warning me to go away instantly earlier than he modified his thoughts.
So I did, however no person was going to cease me from confronting Ruiz exterior the trial room.
I requested her why she lied about me having a plastic cowl on my plates.
I additionally requested if she was ever retrained on what constitutes an obstructed plate, as her superior promised.
However she wouldn’t remark.
So I left, however not earlier than advising her to choose up the Sunday Put up.
