DOJ threatens to sue NYPD over parking on sidewalks, crosswalks. Read the letter.
NEW YORK -- The Department of Justice is threatening to sue the NYPD if its members don't stop parking police cars on sidewalks and crosswalks.
It's a change New Yorkers with disabilities have been fighting for for years.
The scathing letter says sidewalks and crosswalks are often difficult to navigate for people with disabilities because parked NYPD cars and other city vehicles block their path.
Someone in Bushwick, Brooklyn posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, last week as an example.
CBS New York also covered this issue in Jamaica, Queens earlier this year, and the NYPD said there is limited parking space near its police stations.
Study: Police block sidewalks, crosswalks outside 91% of precincts
In the letter, Southern District U.S. Attorney Damian Wiliams cites a recent study that found city vehicles block sidewalks or crosswalks outside 91% of NYPD precincts. He says the police must come up with a policy to prevent that.
Dr. Sharon McLennon-Wier, of the Center for Independence of the Disabled, agrees.
"We don't want to wait until someone has to lose their life because they're trying to navigate around a car and happen to get injured, either electronic bicycle or car. It is a concern, and it has been going on. I think it's been going on way too long," McLennon-Wier said.
The letter goes on to say that if the police don't fix the problem, they U.S. attorney general could sue them.
The NYPD told CBS New York it is reviewing the letter.
Though the letter specifically mentions NYPD vehicles and is addressed to the department, it also mentions city vehicles in general.