Closing Bell: New York's Finest, Leading by Example

the light still looks green.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:16 PM

Get a close up of his badge (No and name) Mr B and post that too!

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:22 PM

Not only is the cop blocking the box, he's sitting next an SUV thats doing the same.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:24 PM

New to NYC.

If I'm being blocked by a cop in that situation, can i sit on my horn and flip him off like any other "bob blocking" motorist.

What are the ramifications?

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:28 PM

Mr. B I really love your blog for all it's RE coverage of Brooklyn. But man! You are so shrill! It's your blog and all, but it's such a turn off.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:28 PM

4:16, in the direction the cop is traveling, the light is red. You can tell by the light being RED next to the BAM sign.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:30 PM

couldn't he have made a left on the green and now be sitting there behind the subaru?

or do we know for sure he was heading straight and blocked the box?

i sure can't tell from this photo...

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:41 PM

These effing cops, they abuse their power running red ights with contempt causing accidents sometimes. We know it. Even if their not on emergency. Guess beating the traffic to get home to the suburbs.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:42 PM

my favorite is when the traffic cops double park next to the congested intersection in which they are directing traffic. or even better, when they triple park when ticketing a double parker. i mean, do they even understand irony?

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:42 PM

Wait until Atlantic Yards to see that box.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:42 PM

happens there all the time because construction has shrunk the path to ft green to 1 lane of iron plates. It usually drains though, doesn't block for an entire cycle.
Sometimes they have traffic cops out there directing.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:46 PM

"What are the ramifications?"

Try a night in the Brooklyn Criminal Courts lockup for "disorderly conduct" at the hands of one pissed off Po-Po.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:50 PM

What powers a cop's brain?

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 4:56 PM

i hate the fucking pigs. try manuevering around their own goddam cars near the police station on bergen and sixth with a baby carriage. they park right on the ramp to the sidewalk and so you have to walk onto the ave. to get across.
they're fucking animals who wouldn't think of doing the same thing in their staten island neighborhoods to their own piglets.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:03 PM

"i hate the fucking pigs"

I love my Park Slope Moms!

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:07 PM

4:56 Pizza?

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:09 PM

I nearly got hit at that corner this AM.

There was an accident though I could see NO damage to the SUV that "might" have been rearended by a ConEd truck. The SUV was parked over the crosswalk. The driver was at first pacing around in the little area left of the crosswalk between her SUV and the ConEd truck. She end up sitting in the passenger seat with the door open talking into her cell phone. A cop was standing on the curb talking into a cell. The ConEd guy was screaming into his cell.

There was a traffic cop in the intersection (Atlantic and 4th). The walk sign was blinking and I squeezed by passed the SUV driver, then standing in my way, and got honked at by a surge of oncoming traffic from Atlantic and Flatbush that the traffic cop must have been indicating to advance. I looked up at the light (it was red for the drivers about to plow into me), ran to the curb and stood there ASTOUNDED at the mass of traffic and mess at that intersection all around.

And they think they can ADD more traffic?! Insane!

The traffic cop made all sorts of hand gestures and faces at me. I did lots back trying, at 100 feet distance and over the noise to indicate that my walk sign had been blinking and I thought it was okay and so wha' already, enough.

Hhhh...ah Brooklyn...

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:10 PM

Yeah because you never misjudged it and ended up blocking the box yourself, and because everyone who does ALWAYS gets a ticket! And because you do your job perfectly too!

Shit happens - for all you know it was a mistake or something else was going on - instead of picking on civil servants who have to protect your overpriced Brownstone in the middle of the ghetto, try giving them some of the slack you reserve for yourself in that same situation.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:17 PM

Yeah, gotta agree with the sentiments of guest at 5:17 (if not entirely with the tone). I find nearly every "Closing Bell" feature petty and annoying.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:24 PM

I used to cross that intersection once a week to take my daughter to a dance class at Mark Morris. It was taking our lives into our hands, so we dropped the class. The traffic cops that are usually there make a point of steering traffic INTO pedestrians, gesturing angrily at those who dare to cross with the walk signal. It is a highly, highly dangerous intersection.

Cops flippantly disregard traffic laws all the time. Then they whine that they get no respect.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:28 PM

The correct thing to do in this situation is to pull up to the left of the green car (suburu?) thus moving yourself mostly out of the intersection. Then wait patiently for the light at the next block to change and pull back into the travel lane behind the other cars. I wouldn't necessarily expect the cop to be so courteous as to execute this maneuver, however.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:29 PM

NYPD are a bunch of hypocrites. I hope they all get hit by cars and die.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:32 PM

if that "Park Slope Mom" lives near that Cop Shop, she's actually a "Prospect Heights Mom." Get it straight, Asshat.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:42 PM

An Asshat is driving the car with 'The What' in the back.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 5:53 PM

COPS CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT!

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 6:08 PM

That's why they're asswipes

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 6:11 PM

Sorry, I talked about the traffic accident but I got the intersection wrong. The accident was on Atlantic just before it's intersection with Flatbush. The photo's of the crossing from 3rd Ave into Lafayette.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 6:17 PM

Did it ever occur to any of you that the cop car just might be purposely keeping traffic from crossing the intersection? What if a little old lady fell on the other side and is being helped up by another cop or Con Ed is picking up or putting down cones to do work on the other side of the intersection? The cop in the car would of course hold the traffic back. These are just two possible scenarios. We automatically jump to the conclusion that they are in the wrong. Whe they do too much we complain, when they do nothing we complain. You could not pay me enough to do what they do. No wonder why they all seem so disgruntled.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 6:21 PM

cops create culture of adversity in the nabes. Last thing they do is be friendly and forget they're civil servants paid by our tax $$$. gotta thank us for their jobs or they be digging ditches. man. never see a cop say hello to me or good morning while I drink my coffee. instead, they see you as a potential criminal or terrorist. Bunch of macho yahoos. Must feel good to feel the power of their toys.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 6:24 PM

Did you ever try saying hello first? If I were a cop I'd be apprehensive about saying hello in any of your nabes because you all walk around with scowls and looks of disdain for them. If all you encountered all day long is grief would you smile?

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 6:57 PM

Put up a bullseye on your back for 26K a year.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 7:07 PM

what's wrong with saying hello first to me? once i said to thoguht i was gay. efftard!

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 7:10 PM

got news for cops who love Ghouliani to be prez. He has ZERO chance.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 7:22 PM

Murder rate & crime is directly proportional to the unemployment rate as a general rule. Of course, there are always exceptions and anomalies.

When one wants to post a gripe about the NYPD, one has to pick and choose their battles wisely. Nip picking about a possible blocking the box infringement is petty at best and fool hardy, suicidal (figuratively speaking) at worst.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 8:05 PM

They need to shave those balls first, thank you very much.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 8:06 PM

It should be illegal to criticize the po-lice. And the President. And any neocon fucktard who posts on here.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 8:26 PM

Crime is related to age. It is no mistake that the murder rate hasn't been this low since 1963. In 1963 the first of the baby boomers were 20 years of age. Most crimes are committed by males who are 20-40 years old. Crime continued upwardly until about four years ago when the last of the baby boomers those born in 1963 turned 40. As criminal aged they died, were in prison or just too damned old to out run the cops or climb into your home to burglarize it or beat you up to rob you. Unemployment has jsut a little to do with the murder rate. It is the natural progression of things. If I am not mistaken there was another slight baby boom in 1985 - 1988. Even in municipalities where crime has not dropped yet it can be correlated to those places having a high concentration of 20-35 year olds. Who are unemployed.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 8:39 PM

If criticizing the police is made illegal, you will be living in a police state.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 9:28 PM

8:39pm Yes, yes. I took a criminology course in college as well. Yes, yes, France and Europe experienced widespread crime wave from young adults (18-25) after the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent unemployment of hundreds of thousands of solders. Yes, yes, crime and aggressiveness and being single, not having a skilled vocation, education, abusive childhood, all have bearings on crime and the first modern police force was developed in London then followed by NYC. Before that the Army was used to police the populace. But 8:05pm specifically stated murder as the example and not general crime.

In a perfect world, having a four year degree should be required in order to be a cop. There are way too many stupid, thuggish cops for my taste. And, come on, how hard is it to get a college degree? Hard enough for the losers not to pass which is perfect.

Posted by: guest at January 9, 2008 10:46 PM

What a lame Closing Bell, Brownstoner. But you really know your audience well... a little catnip for the complainers, most of whom sound like they moved to Brooklyn from Seattle in the late '90's. Aside from the petty two-minute delay that obviously turned Flatbush Ave upside down, there's a real issue of a 60 year old infrastucture that exists in NYC. It's ANCIENT.

Everyone hates the cops, but they're not that bad in NYC. It's a crappy job. But if you had a picture of the Subaru blocking the box, which also happens every day, it would be a non-story.

Special Kudos to 5:03 Stroller Mom who 'hates the fucking pigs'. Your kid hears everything you say. Pass it on, Mom.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 7:41 AM

7:41, why do you assume it's a stroller MOM? seems like you're the pig.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 8:53 AM

How about a post showing a picture of the long line at the Starbucks on Court. Scandal!

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 9:06 AM

So it's a stroller DAD. Good luck with that kid and the anger problem.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 9:14 AM

My guess is the parents are divorced and Dad is with the kid on alternate weekends. There's hope.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 9:16 AM

Unless the kid becomes a cop.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 9:23 AM

cop out - how did this come about?

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 9:29 AM

6:24pm - what are you 12yrs old? You are upset b/c cops don't say hello to you? and they are too "Macho"?

And then you pull the "they work for me, I pay their salaries" nonsense....

1st of all, you are no more their employer/boss then you are the commander of the army, or are empowered to tell social security recipients how to spend their day, or can stroll into Goldman Sachs and walk around because you own some shares. They work for the city - not you

And as for their demeanor - could you please step out of your bubble for a moment and realize what it takes to be cop, to walk around in a UNIFORM all day, confront people at their worst moments (drunk, domestic issues, suicidal, homicidal etc...), give summons, make arrests etc, etc, etc - seriously consider for a second how much balls it takes to do what they do - who do you think is going to be able to do it effectively?

Please grow up and enter the real world.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 9:44 AM

9:44 the 'city' is 'us'. use your head.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 9:50 AM

My hats off to the cops in the city & brooklyn. I used to work retail and restaurant in the city and the cops have always been very helpful when dealing with trouble makers.

I think most people love cops in the city, if you don't own & drive a car. I feel that people that have cars & drive have a adversarial relationship with authority figures. For everybody else that take the subway, we get along very well.

My hats off to the cops.... & no, I'm not some old fart, I'm 29.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 10:36 AM

depends on the retail and restaurant joints. most cops are helpful, but aren't they suppose to be? classier restaurant or apparel stores get the better of it than, say, candy or donut store or bodegas. money talks and bad attitude walks.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 10:49 AM

The traffic around the AY site and in downtown Brooklyn is the worse than any of the 3 other large major cities in the U.S. in which I've lived. The WORST. It's shamefully bad city planning. There are ALWAYS cars and even worse, huge trucks and buses, sitting smack in the middle of the box in all the intersections there. And it's absolutely terrifying to cross these intersections as a pedestrian.

Yet somehow Ratner wondered why people who actually live in those areas were so in disbelief anybody was going to build a huge stadium there. HMMM, what a mystery! Just make Ratner hold his child's hand (if he has one) and cross every intersection in and around the Atlantic Yards footprint and in downtown Brooklyn, then he might understand the ongoing protest a little better.

As for cops, just because a small handful of bad cops make headlines once or twice a year, or get as impatient with traffic as we ALL do (you know you've run a red light before, admit it) you do not write off the whole department. It's infantile to do so. Not that rabid cop haters venting on a blog are known for their emotional maturity.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 10:59 AM

Oops, bad lazy grammar in the first sentence in my 10:59 post.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 11:02 AM

agreed 10:59- somehow we seem to forget the large number of cops willing to sacrifice their lives for us. As for the poster complaining about manuvering the stroller- you're joking, right? Are you that person where the sound of whining meets the odor of mendacity? seems so.

I'm always amazed at the vitriol vented against cops- no,, they don't get a free pas to do whatever, but the vast majority of them are fine, decent people who put their lives on the line everyday, and do a whole lot of good community work that no one ever hears about. Try learning about the NYPD explorers program. Big Brothers and Sisters. And there's more.

That stance people complain about is vigilance. Cops have pretty much seen it all and it's about being alert and prepared for anything- it's not about you or your little parking ticket, or your need to be smiled at.You may not like them but if you've got a problem who ya gonna call?....oh- ghostbusters??

Congrats Mr. B- a nice cheap shot there.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 11:42 AM

Bernard Kerik was a great cop.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 12:09 PM

Serpico was a great cop.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 12:41 PM

Eppolito and Caracappa were cops.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 12:50 PM

Andy Taylor and Barney Fife... now we're talkin' COPS!

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 1:34 PM

1:05- what makes you think they don't try to be? Maybe you should try being in their shoes for a couple of days.

Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 2:08 PM

So if 95% of a HUGE police force ARE exemplary, the remaining few who aren't perfect 100% of the time (in a job that has so much stress and pressure they need on-staff psychologists) that means ALL cops are bad?

How do you even call that conclusion of yours logical?

You're a cop-hater simply because it makes you feel cool. Which is truly pathetic.

Posted by: guest at January 11, 2008 11:27 AM

11:27 One day I pointed a car to a cop we were both crossing Flatbush Ext and told him a guy just made an illegal u-turn. I even got the plate#. You know what he told me? (He was miffed.) "Go call the precinct". WTF! Was he on his way to the pizzeria for lunch? If you're a cop yourself or a lover of a cop, this is one thing you can think and tell them about.

Posted by: guest at January 11, 2008 5:33 PM

the cops abuse their power all the time! running lights, parking in the middle of the street and you have to go around them while trying to not get killed with oncoming traffic, turning on the flashing lights just so they dont have to wait in traffic! etc, etc. I have no respect for most of them.

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 8:54 AM