Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
No Vacation Time Or Lunch Breaks Until Cops Start Writing Tickets
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jan 11, 2015
Modified Jan 11, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jan 11, 2015
Modified Jan 11, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The machine that pumps revenue into the city and reassurance back into its ruling class is slowly creeping back to life. “The slowdown is over in the sense that the numbers are starting to go back up again,” Commissioner Bratton told reporters on Friday, adding that he expects our court system to be clogged with turnstile jumpers and open container tickets "by early next week." To ensure the return to normalcy, NYPD leaders are preventing any officer from taking vacation leave or lunch breaks until low-level enforcement increases.
The Post reports that any officer who doesn't write tickets is also subject to transfer.
“Everyone here is under orders — no time off” during the summons catch-up blitz, said one cop at the 105th Precinct in Queens.
“And the majority of [new] summonses written aren’t protecting the public in any way.
The lieutenant ordered sector cars from throughout the precinct to converge at Springfield Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue for a driver checkpoint, the officer said.
No one was to return to the precinct or even take a meal break until two summonses were logged, the officer said.
“To have all the manpower utilized for the sole purpose of writing summonses is a very dangerous way to utilize manpower,” he said. “This is not what we’re out here for.”
So much for Broken Windows as "a highly discretionary police activity."
If you become a statistic in the NYPD's game of catch up, let us know.
Tagged
broken windows
nypd slowdown
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD investigating after 5-year-old Queens girl found dead
Police responded to a call from her mother after an assault.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 15, 2026 at 7:10 a.m. ET
Hochul, Blakeman offer opposing visions for jobs to stem New York exodus
A million New Yorkers have moved across state lines since 2020 due to the cost of living.
By
Jimmy Vielkind
News
Hochul, Blakeman offer opposing visions for jobs to stem New York exodus
A million New Yorkers have moved across state lines since 2020 due to the cost of living.
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Hannah-Jones, NYC schools chancellor set to speak at high-stakes integration town hall
By
Jessica Gould
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
By
Charles Lane
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .