Over the weekend, it was reported that police had set up shop at the corner of McGuinness Boulevard and Nassau Avenue, giving out warnings and summonses to jaywalkers in their continuing efforts to improve street safety via the path of least resistance. But this charm offensive isn't just limited to Greenpoint—it's happening all over the borough, including Bay Ridge, where one police source tells the Daily News that cops are giving out fake summonses to pedestrians regardless of whether they are breaking any rules.
According to the News, cops from the 68th precinct have been handing the fake tickets to pedestrians at 86th St. and Fifth Ave. in Bay Ridge. "The people of Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights & Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn USA VS. John B. Doe," the tickets read, accusing the recipient of "[failing] to exercise due care while crossing a roadway, creating a safety hazard."
Never mind that ticketing pedestrians isn't saving any lives and diverts police manpower from dealing with reckless driving. "Jaywalkers beware," Bay Ridge resident John Anthony Sichenze posted on Facebook. "Bratton and the NYPD have nothing better to do than to harass pedestrians."
Jaywalking tickets have increased by nearly 800 percent this year; police have handed out at least 97 jaywalking tickets in Brooklyn alone in the first two months of this year, five times the amount they gave out in the same period in 2013. But if you do get ticketed, take some comfort—according to Transportation Nation, some officers have been issuing summonses returnable to New York City Criminal Court: "What did the Criminal Court do with the summonses it was asked to adjudicate for violation of a non-applicable, non-criminal traffic violation? It dismissed them."
