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Cops Park In Bike Lane For Emergency Papa John's Dinner
By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2011
Modified May 6, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 6, 2011
Modified May 6, 2011
Share
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Responding to an emergency call for "better ingredients, better pizza," an elite NYPD dinner unit swarmed a Papa John's location on Second Avenue and 25th Street yesterday. Arriving just in time to prevent a tragic loss of calories, the officers secured the perimeter and quickly cordoned off a section of the restaurant, where they neutralized the suspect, who was found hiding in a small greasy cardboard box. While containing the crisis, which unfolded during the evening rush hour, two squad cars were left parked in a bike lane. Obviously, no one can quibble about that—officers are sometimes forced to violate minor traffic laws in the course of official police appetite business.
In an attempt to obtain more details about yesterday's dramatic dinner raid, we emailed the NYPD press office, and asked if there are any departmental guidelines on blocking bike lanes. We wonder if it's only permitted when responding to pizza emergencies, or are doughnut runs also a legitimate justification? Of course, the NYPD has previously blocked bike lanes to help officers ticket cyclists for not using the bike lanes, but it's unclear if yesterday's Papa John's incident was part of any additional bike lane enforcement. At press time, the NYPD has declined to comment.
Tagged
bike lanes
cops
cyclist crackdown
cyclists
gallery
nypd
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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