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Q&A
Council Member Holden questions NYPD on vehicle towing, registration, and license plate issues
1:38:35
·
3 min
Council Member Robert F. Holden engages in a Q&A session with NYPD representatives, focusing on issues related to improperly registered vehicles, towing procedures, and concerns about obscured license plates. The discussion highlights challenges in enforcement and potential solutions.
- Holden raises concerns about improperly registered trucks being towed but quickly returning to the streets
- NYPD Inspector O'Sullivan explains constraints in the vehicle release process at tow pounds
- The conversation touches on the problem of license plates covered with light-obscuring film
- NYPD representatives mention ongoing efforts to address these issues, including increased summonses and a new 311 pilot program
Robert F. Holden
1:38:35
Thank you, chair, for the second round.
1:38:40
Inspector Sullivan, I just I think we spoke about this before, but I've had a lot of, through your help, a lot of vehicles towed with improper registration.
1:38:50
Many of them are trucks.
1:38:52
They have regular plates, but no commercial plates, but they're improperly registered.
1:38:58
We got them ticketed.
1:38:59
We got them towed.
1:39:00
Next day, the truck is back on the street.
1:39:04
When they pick it up at the tow pound, when when the person who owns the vehicle picks it up, he he can't drive it off with the improper registration, can he?
Brian O'Sullivan
1:39:16
No.
1:39:16
Technically, if the car is not registered, doesn't have insurance, he has to hire a legitimate tow truck.
Robert F. Holden
1:39:21
A tow truck.
1:39:22
But you give it back to him, that person, with a tow truck, and then the next day, it's back on the street.
1:39:28
Shouldn't I mean, is it possible to require them to show the proper registration before they pick it up, or they just have to show that they own the vehicle?
Brian O'Sullivan
1:39:37
Due to our constraints, if they come there with a licensed tow truck to tow it out, we we have to release it.
Robert F. Holden
1:39:41
You have to give it to them.
1:39:42
So we we have this vicious cycle because I've been Yes.
1:39:45
I've been you know, it's like this this truck that it's a big truck, and it has suburban plates, regular plates, and it's back on the street.
1:39:53
Now it's been several years.
1:39:55
So it's like this vicious cycle.
1:39:57
We should have some kind of way to do it.
1:39:59
By the way, another problem that I have on three one one when I use the three one one app is that you could see by driving around the neighborhood where many vehicles on every block, there's three or four of them, have a film over the license plate.
1:40:13
And it blurs out the numbers, especially at night when a light is shined on it.
1:40:18
And yet, I can't get those summons.
1:40:19
Officers don't know that there's a film.
1:40:22
But you can see it when you shine your vehicle light, especially at night.
1:40:26
You can actually see it.
1:40:27
You can see it in the daytime too.
1:40:29
Why how many vehicles with that film are we just letting go by?
1:40:33
Because there's there's there's no tickets.
1:40:37
I I just have like an answer on my three zero one that the officers took action to correct it, but it doesn't tell me what they did.
Brian O'Sullivan
1:40:45
Okay.
1:40:46
So the new technology, this film, it it just came out.
1:40:49
You know, law enforcement, security industries, they're in the process of trying to figure out how to, you know, get that ticket violation.
1:40:56
But when it comes to covered plates, mismatched plates, stuff like that, you know, so far this year we've already issued 65,000 summonses for these type of offenses.
1:41:06
Also, have our traffic agents out there.
1:41:09
We have our new three one one pilot program where our agents are responding to these traffic complaints, and it's freeing up the officers to respond to nine one one calls and quality of life.
1:41:18
And we have our traffic agent enforcement addressing these conditions.
1:41:21
So hopefully this year, this will be the year you see big issue with enforcement against these covered plates and this, you know, microfilm.
Robert F. Holden
1:41:31
Alright.
1:41:31
Thank you.
1:41:32
Thank you, chair.
Josh Levin
1:41:32
Can I just add one thing?
1:41:34
I also think the ability to write to the VIN number, the resolution
Robert F. Holden
1:41:38
Right.
Josh Levin
1:41:38
Would be extremely, extremely helpful.
1:41:41
Yeah.
1:41:41
Because a a plate, you know, you can take off and move around.
1:41:44
You could put a dead plate on when you're trying to come across the bridge.
1:41:47
But you can't change you can change a VIN, but you'd have to be a mechanic whatever.
1:41:51
Right?
1:41:52
It's much harder to to change the VIN.
Robert F. Holden
1:41:53
Exactly.
1:41:54
Right.
1:41:54
Thank you.