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NYPD says not enough space to tow every 'ghost car' in NYC
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jun 27, 2023
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Marc A. Hermann / MTA
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jun 27, 2023
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NYPD officials on Monday said there isn’t enough space in the city’s tow pounds to take every car with illegal or obscured license plates off the streets.
Police officials said during a City Council hearing that officers have towed more than 8,600 of the so-called “ghost cars'' in the city since the start of 2022. But NYPD Transportation deputy chief Michael Pilecki said it would be hard to tow more cars with illegal plates because of the city’s move in 2021 to shut down the NYPD’s tow pound on Manhattan’s West Side.
“A couple of years ago, we lost the Manhattan tow pound, which was our largest tow pound in the city,” Pilecki said, adding that the decision meant the city lost “several hundred spots.” The tow pound processed nearly 200 cars per day.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2020 threatened at least $12 million in fines if the city failed to move the tow pound before Dec. 31 of that year. Pilecki said the decision left the city with only three tow pounds in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, each capable of housing roughly 200 cars apiece.
Pilecki said the NYPD is cracking down on drivers with illegal plates, even if police can’t always tow their cars off the road. NYPD data shows police have issued more 130,000 summonses for illegal or defaced license plates, and arrested more than 1,700 people for driving ghost cars.
“Any vehicle bearing one of these fraudulent plates instantly becomes undetectable to nearly every aspect of street-level enforcement, from tolls to speed and red light cameras and even parking enforcement,” said Pilecki. “They become ghost cars to the system and evade enforcement on a widespread scale.”
NYPD officials said it became easier for drivers across the country to receive temporary paper license plates when DMVs closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Pilecki said the NYPD only has information on temporary license plates from 10 states, which makes it difficult to tell whether or not a paper license plate is authentic.
Monday’s hearing followed an investigation published by Streetsblog in April that uncovered a black market of car dealerships that dole out temporary license plates to New York City drivers.The fake plates cost the city millions in uncollected tickets and tolls, according to the investigation.
City Council lawmakers are pushing for legislation that aims to crack down on the illegal plates, including a bill that would fine drivers upwards of $500 if they’re caught using fake or expired license plates. Another bill would establish fines for people caught distributing fake plates.
Both bills are being sponsored by more than half of the City Council’s 51 members.
“These ghost cars – and these paper plates – are costing us our safety, and our resources,” Councilmember Oswald Feliz said.
Tagged
crime
new york city
transportation
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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