A group of Brooklyn police officers recently made a mistake by stopping a car and issuing a fake traffic ticket to an unwitting reporter.
This little saga began on a sunny April 12th while I was at the gym for a quick workout. I found myself pulled over by several young NYPD officers on a street in Bay Ridge. They claimed it was for an “unannounced traffic safety check.”
After 20 long minutes of waiting, a female officer approached and handed me two citations. The reason? My 2019 Infiniti had “illegal” dealer frames on its license plates.
I was taken aback. Honestly, I chuckled and mentioned that perhaps she had misunderstood the law.
While I’m not a lawyer, I emphasized that, as a reporter for the New York Post, I have some knowledge in this area. Recently, there’s been a new law that prohibits drivers from using ghost plates or any kind of covers that might obscure visibility for red light and toll cameras.
However, dealer frames don’t count, especially since they’re standard on many cars around the city. I pointed out that there were plenty of other cars around me with similar frames.
Then I asked her and the other officers, who were now looming around me, what had triggered this ticketing situation. They didn’t seem too happy with my questions and one male officer even warned me I’d receive another ticket if I didn’t just drive away.
So, I drove straight to the nearest precinct, just a mile away.
When I showed the citations to the officer on duty, he found them so poorly written that he couldn’t make sense of the actual violations or fines.
He stepped outside to check my license plate and admitted the citation shouldn’t have been issued at all.
He reassured me that the officers involved would undergo “retraining,” since plate covers are legally allowed, assuming they don’t obscure the numbers and letters.
He apologized but mentioned he lacked the authority to dismiss the tickets, leaving me facing over $300 in fines and related costs.
Finally, my court date arrived on Friday. It took place in a small hearing room at the state Department of Transportation in Coney Island.
I was still feeling incensed about those tickets and geared up for a robust defense, envisioning myself as a courtroom hero.
Yet, when it came time, I struggled to get a word in edgewise.
The officer, Tiffany Lewis, arrived in her uniform and sunglasses, which she took off just as we were called in front of Judge Perry Baumstein.
Lewis, an NYPD officer since 2024, had quite the overtime pay last year, but was the first one to offer an absurd statement.
She claimed my plate was “dirty and covered,” but conveniently omitted any reference to our previous discussion regarding the legality of the dealer’s frame.
The condition of my plate was indeed subjective, but her assertion that I had a plastic cover like some of her colleagues had used in the past was simply false.
I thought I was ready to respond, but Judge Baumstein interrupted her mid-testimony and dismissed both tickets right then and there.
I felt a wave of relief but still a bit frustrated, blurting out that I was ready for a fight.
“You’re not allowed to speak now!” the judge snapped, firmly telling me to leave before I had a change of heart.
So I left, and no one attempted to stop me from confronting Lewis outside the courtroom.
I questioned her about her misleading statement regarding my license plate being covered.
I also inquired if my promised ‘re-education’ about obscured plates had happened.
She didn’t respond.
Before I departed, I suggested she pick up a copy of the Sunday Post.
