Kudos For Cop
BY LIZ GOFF

Police officials and residents of a Long Island City neighborhood are applauding the actions of a Queens police officer who single-handedly, on November 6, cleared a messy traffic clog caused by a livery car service.

Traffic was backed up for hours last Thursday, along 35th Street from 36th Avenue to Northern Boulevard, when owners of the Noble Limousine Service opened their doors to drivers seeking to sign up with the car service.

According to police, livery vehicles were parked on sidewalks, double-parked, parked in driveways and at fire hydrants when neighborhood residents returned home from work.

"These guys are always parking all over the place," said a resident named Mike. "They have a garage that's always empty, but their cars are all over the street."

"They save the [parking] spots for the livery cars, switch them and [then] take their own cars home," Mike said. "They never leave a spot for anyone who lives on the block." Residents have been calling 311 and the Taxi & Limousine Commission to complain about the practice, but the situation got way out of hand on November 6 when the car service decided to hold the open call for drivers.

"All of a sudden the street was filled with livery cars, vans and long luxury vehicles," Mike said. "They were everywhere. Drivers were standing in the middle of the street, directing traffic and refusing to move the vehicles for traffic that was backed up, or for local residents."

Residents said the chaos, which began at about 4 p.m., was completely out of control around 6:30 p.m. when more than 100 livery drivers were milling around the street, backing up traffic for almost two blocks to Northern Boulevard.

"When we tried to ask what was going on, they shooed us away or laughed in our faces," residents said. "These guys were completely obnoxious, rude and out of line."

Repeat calls to 311 brought two police cars to the scene, and both times the officers didn't even get out of their cars." Mike said.

A last-ditch call to 114th Precinct Commanding Officer, Deputy Inspector Paul Vorbeck brought precinct Highway Officer John Glynn to the scene.When Glynn arrived at 35th Street he was forced to drive his police scooter along the sidewalk because the street was completely clogged with the livery drivers and cabs. Even though he was working alone, it took the veteran cop less than 20 minutes to clear the street, residents said.

"This guy was like dynamite," Mike said. "He [made] his way through the crowd, parked his vehicle across the street from the car service and started writing summonses."

When the livery drivers realized that Glynn was taking action they ran like rats. Mike said, "He was strong, professional and courteous, but he didn't take any crap from these guys. Glynn kept saying, move it or get a ticket, and they moved. It was like the cavalry arrived to save us."

Vorbeck said Glynn's performance is a reflection of good training, supervision and good old-fashioned street sense."Officer Glynn acted in a manner that casts a positive light on police officers at the 114th Precinct. He is an experienced, highly-professional officer who knows the job and takes appropriate action."

Glynn remained posted outside the livery service until the last driver arrived to sign up after 10 p.m., residents said. "Since he was here, the car service drivers are behaving themselves," Mike said. "They'd pull their cars into their garage, instead of double parking, parking on the street and parking in all the driveways."

Mike told the Gazette, residents are holding their breath and enjoying the time out from the livery invasion on their quiet street. "It probably won't last too long, but it's nice to know that we can call on the 114th Precinct to send Officer Glynn to the rescue, if we need help. I want to repeat myself this guy is like a stick of dynamite."