Wouldn’t you love to skip out on tolls? Some cops in New York City apparently sure do! A new investigation by Inside Edition found officers were avoiding toll and traffic cameras using illegal flash-reflective plastic covers on their personal license plates, according to a summary of the probe by the New York Post.
The Post received a copy of the investigation before it aired, and Inside Edition apparently found the illegal plates were installed on more than 100 cars displaying NYPD placards. From the Post:
The covers, which can be purchased online for as little as $6, allow the plates to remain visible but hide plate numbers on pics taken by toll and red-light cameras.
NYPD officials admitted the covers have been an issue and said they’re “working to address” it.
“The department has instructed precinct commanders to ensure officers in their commands are complying with traffic laws and internal guidelines on license-plate covers,” NYPD spokesman Peter Donald said.
How swell.
The spokesperson went on to say that roughly a dozen cops have been ticketed for their use of the plates, and when Inside Edition approached a couple of the officers, the interactions were apparently quite comical:
An “Inside Edition” reporter confronted one driver whose car was parked outside 1 Police Plaza and had an NYPD placard in his window and covers on his front and rear plates.
When asked if he knew he was breaking the law with the covers, the driver essentially conceded he’d been caught red-handed, saying, “I’m going to take them off.”
He then used a screwdriver to remove them on camera.
I guess you have to give him credit for allowing such a remarkable self-own to happen on-camera.