NYPD Tow Mayor De Blasioâs Car 150 Times
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has had his car towed 150 times the last few days and racked up record towing and storage fees, possibly stemming from his rift with the New York Police Department. According to NYPD records, police have towed de Blasioâs Chevrolet Tahoe SUV for violating various city parking laws, ranging from ânot displaying driving goggles on the dashboardâ and âleaving the carâs rear tires too far from the parking blockâ to âparking within 0.0015 nautical miles of a fire hydrantâ and âparking a Chevy in Queens on a Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and/or weekend.â In a press conference, de Blasio insisted he would pay all his towing and storage fees, which so far have added up to $8.5 million â roughly a monthâs expenses in Manhattan. De Blasio pledged to review New Yorkâs parking laws, claiming he was unaware itâs illegal to park a car in Manhattan without leaving a note on the windshield that identifies at least three other people in the tri-state who are authorized to drive the car, as approved by both Congress and President Barack Obama. âI respect the law, and I credit NYPD officers for knowing the traffic regulations of this city inside and out; apparently, there are millions Iâve never even heard of,â he said. âBut I wish theyâd catch the criminals who are breaking my SUVâs tail lights every day, because the carâs been towed 20 times for that. âI also wish theyâd catch the graffiti artists who are spray-painting âF**k de Blasioâ on City Hall and Gracie Mansion. The police who patrol the area say they havenât seen anything or anyone.â However, de Blasio cut the press conference short after he was informed his SUV had been towed from City Hallâs official mayorâs parking space for the 67th time. Cross the Thin Blue Line De Blasio remains unpopular with the NYPD, which blames him for contributing to the anti-police sentiment that inspired the ambush murders of two NYPD officers, following several high-profile cases of unarmed men being killed by police. At several events, rank-and-file officers have heckled and booed the mayor and turned their backs on him. The mayor has started driving himself around New York because the NYPD detectives assigned to drive him have claimed they are recuperating in Hawaii over an allergic reaction to the car seats. De Blasioâs SUV was also towed yesterday as he spoke at the police academyâs graduation ceremony in Brooklyn, although he claimed he parked it in the mayorâs designated parking space. âNot only was my car towed but there was a crudely-drawn handicap-parking image on the space,â de Blasio told reporters. âI swear it was not there before.â Police union leader Lennie Briscoe said he is unimpressed by de Blasioâs excuses. âEvery day our officers do the tough job of enforcing parking regulations in this city, and nobody, including Mayor de Blasio, is above the law,â he said. âEspecially Mayor de Blasio.â