NewYork's Dirtiest: Stinkin' Sanitation Cops
According to the NY Post, Fort Greene homeowners are getting smacked by sanitation cops with $100 “dirty sidewalk” fines for s couple of slips of paper. We had our own run-in in South Williamsburg with a real gem of a sanitation cop last year when a neighbor from two doors down started hurling bags of…
According to the NY Post, Fort Greene homeowners are getting smacked by sanitation cops with $100 “dirty sidewalk” fines for s couple of slips of paper. We had our own run-in in South Williamsburg with a real gem of a sanitation cop last year when a neighbor from two doors down started hurling bags of garbage at our front door, mistakenly under the impression that we had been putting our household garbage in his cans. Mrs. B, baby in arms, stepped outside to confront the guy just as a sanitation cop pulled up. As the large man was screaming in her face menacingly, the cop, rather than try to do anything to physically protect her, starting writing her a ticket for the garbage on our stoop. After the neighbor finally backed off, Mrs. B asked for the sanitation cop’s name to act as a witness if she decided to file assault charges. The cop just shrugged his shoulders and said, “I didn’t see nuthin’.” And with that drove off.
Any other stories about run-ins with the sanitation cops?
City Play Dirty with Tix [NY Post]
As for sanitation cops — I agree they are New York’s dirtiest. We were out-of-town one weekend last year, and got a $100 ticket for having a dirty side walk. I believe the ticket said something about the officer having witnessed some “4 candy wrappers and a coke can” on our sidewalk. Nevermind that it was garbage collection day and the way the garbage men pick up the garbage, they were probably the ones that put the garbage on the sidewalk in the first place. I was so bitter that I actually decided to go to the hearing and challenge it — for those of you thinking about it, don’t bother, that process is even more corrupt. When I got to the hearing, after speaking with the so called “judge” (who appeared to me to be a high school drop out who couldn’t get a better job), the “judge” decided that even though we weren’t home that entire weekend, we were still responsible for the dirt on the sidewalk. The sanitation officer didn’t even bother to show up (“judge” decided he wasn’t necessary). It was only after I left this kangaroo court that I realized that the slip of paper that you walk in with basically has a bunch of different ways that the hearing can be disposed of by the “judge” (and the “judge” has to check one off) but none of these ways are an acquittal. Basically, the job of the “judge” is to find you guilty one way or the other.
As for the bribery — of course it works — but I refuse to do it. Imagine if every government employee required bribery to do their job (which they are already quite well compensated for).
We live in Sheepshead Bay — my wife likes to say garbage men stink. They sometimes randomly decide that they won’t pick up all of the garbage. When they do pick up the garbage, inevitably they leave the garbage cans tossed all over the side walk. I know of many people who complained and found tickets for this that or the other thing the next day.
These people should all be prosecuted for bribery and extortion! Thank you Brownstoner for speaking up!
First they take you to the cleaners…
then they clean up.
Don’t get me started about our DOS – or as I call them “New York’s Dumbest”.
They will look for any reason not to pick up the garbage and no it is not becase they are concerned about the enviornment. It is because they can’t wait to get back to the “office” – whereever that maybe – open up a few cold ones and call it a day.
Lets privatize!
Say what you will, but the solution to nearly any and all problems with the Sanitation Dept is tipping, aka bribery. We have a problem with people going through our trash here in Brooklyn Heights too, but we haven’t been fined since we started tipping the trash guys $100 at Christmas a few years ago.
sorry wrong thread.
we tip our trash guys 50 bucks every dec and they are pretty good about collecting odd things or taking an extra bag etc since we’ve done this. the dsny people haven’t been to us yet in Clinton hill but that stuff scares me cause they can do whatever they want fair or not and you can’t reason with
them. there is always some type of trash in front of my house by the time i get home from work- you should get a warning first on a first time violation
Anyone have any tips to deal with people going through your garbarge? Every time I put mine out I wake up to find the bags opened and garbage strewn all over the sidewalk. I’m not always home to put it out in time for the morning collection.
I was issued a $25 fine for mixed recycling in Ditmas Park. I’m not always the most careful recycler, so perhaps it was deserved. However, I do NOT deserve to have trashcans (my neighbors) left blocking my driveway or trash scattered all over my lawn by sloppy sanitation workers. This all started to happen, by the way, after one of the sanitation workers made it clear to me that he did particularly care for the amount of trash I was throwing out one morning, although it did not exceed city guidelines.
What’s mixed recycling?