Posted on 06/15/2019 8:35:40 AM PDT by ETL
Staten Island repo man Jose Rodriguez checks up on his tow truck several times a day.
It's been sitting idle on Richmond Terrace for nearly two weeks, immobilized after cops put an orange boot on it when he tried to repossess an NYPD detective's car.
Not having the truck, Rodriguez says, has cost him thousands of dollars in earnings.
"I gotta get the truck out there. I have to get these cars for the banks," he says.
The NYPD could not explain to NY1 why Rodriguez has not been allowed to reclaim his vehicle.
The repo man says it's another example of cops punishing him for doing his job.
NY1 previously reported that on May 30, police blocked Rodriguez from towing the detective's Nissan Maxima, which was wanted by a bank because of three missed car payments.
The officers arrested Rodriguez on a felony charge of possessing of stolen property, and he spent more than 20 hours in jail before being released.
"It shoulda never happened,” Rodriguez says. “They shoulda never charged me with stealing the police officers car because it never happened."
The NYPD tells NY1 it is now conducting an "internal review" of the matter.
The department would not say if a full-fledged investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau is under way.
During this week's Mondays with the Mayor segment on NY1, we asked Mayor de Blasio whether the incident could be considered an abuse of power.
"If it is that kind of thing, it would be unacceptable. There would be huge consequences for those cops,” de Blasio said.
“You can't show that amount of favoritism as a member of the NYPD.
So again, I'm not here to pre-judge cause I don't know the details, but one of the things we have to do for all New Yorkers is show that no one is above the law."
When Rodriguez was released from jail, police dropped the felony charge against him, but then slapped him with misdemeanor charges of falsifying documents and possession of police scanners, allegations he denies.
And Rodriguez says police still have not returned the phone, laptop, iPad and cameras they confiscated from him, as well as his truck.
Rodriguez is due back in court June 26. He's hoping he gets his truck back before then.
Had my Jeep impounded once. I got cleared by the courts to get it back 9 days before the original ticket said I could and boy oh boy the impound yard monkeys did not like that one bit even though they knew I was legal. They even blocked my Jeep in with a forklift. Eventually they let me leave. They were butthurt because I beat em out of $470 of impound fees and a $8000 Jeep. Impound folks are dirty as far as im concerned.
A lot of repo company trucks don’t have any signage on them, and if the truck is below a certain GVWR it’s not required to have a USDOT number displayed either.
Had my car towed from my apartment lot once, even though it had a parking sticker. Tow company owner was mad at me when I came to collect it. He should have been grateful that I didn't sue.
“This proves it was an abuse of power by police. Being a cop doesn’t exempt you from paying your car payments.”
Exactly.
From the related article when he recovers his truck: Rodriguez has promised to clear up all of the violations on his truck: a missing front license plate, tinted windows and a lack of signage.
Guess he thinks it's a violation if he plans on clearing them up.
Nothing excuses the PIGGISH behavior on display here from New York’s swiniest in this particular case. Cops are servants of the public, not centurions.
Giuliani was an awesome mayor. Yes crime way down since 70s and 80s when I lived in NYC.
Sue each and every PO(S) personally under “color of law” violations.
Get a savage civil rights lawyer to pick the flesh off their bones.
Bankrupt them.
Bulldoze their houses.
Salt their fields.
Revel in the lamentations of their women . . .
Make an example of them.
” Let’s face it. Police work is corrupt. Always has been.”
And it’s become worse now that it has been largely unionized! Never agree to talk to a cop. He’s not a truth seeker, he’s looking to try and put you in jail if he can.
“The problem with this country is, nobody lives by a code anymore.”
There’s not enough money in the world to pay me to live in the that hellhole NYC.
One might as well throw their entire life away.
Yes, I agree with on these cops. They thought they and the detective who was 3 months behind on his payments were above the law.
Yes, I agree with *you* on these cops.
Bet he doesn’t donate to them anymore.
He will if he know what's good for him.
Here’s hoping you are the next victim of abuse.
Since you support it.
Whatever... You don’t want to comply with the business and street regulations in the city where you work, then probably best to move to a city which has rules you CAN work under.
He knew the regulations, he knows he’s in violation, and he’s going to get them fixed. That it came from retribution from the cops for trying to repossess a city employee’s car is a separate matter.
Doesn’t take much to get magnets to toss on the sides that have the required information, blacked out windows like that aren’t allowed in NYC (heck, in most population centers in the country), and I think only three states permit you not to have a front license plate (though I doubt any of them have exceptions for commercial vehicles.)
Hope the cops are punished, but all of this could have been a WHOLE lot easier and more slam dunk if he didn’t have problems with his vehicle to begin with.
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