In the congestion pricing era, the NYPD is expanding ongoing enforcement operations — stopping vehicles with fake or obscured license plates traveling into Manhattan’s Congestion Relief Zone.
Throughout this week, the NYPD has posted its vehicles in the shadow of the congestion pricing cameras as trucks and vehicles rattled by 2nd Avenue near the Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridge, zooming under watchful scanners. On Jan. 7, cops began actively stopping those caught trying to avoid the new $9 toll either by covering their plates or using paper plates to prevent overhead cameras and scanners from detecting them.
To combat this, cops are using their own license plate readers to catch motorists who attempt to slip the toll illegally. amNewYork Metro observed some of the operations on Jan. 9, spotting officers stopping a number of drivers who attempted to buck the system.
According to Deputy Chief of Transportation Bureau Thomas Alps, the operation is about dishing out summons and looking for potential criminals. During their stops, police say they have recovered drugs and potentially deadly weapons from scofflaw drivers.
“A lot of times, people are manipulating their plates to evade tolls. But there’s this criminal element out there that are manipulating their plates to commit crimes. Sometimes, here in Midtown Manhattan, they don’t want to be held accountable. They don’t want to be detected. Perhaps they’re committing violence, or they’re engaging in robberies or shootings or burglaries; they don’t want to be detected or identified,” Chief Alps said. ”So, it’s kind of like a mask for your vehicle, and they’re masking their plates.”
Between 6 a.m. and noon on the first day of expanded operations, Jan. 7, law enforcement sources reported, cops issued 73 summons, seized 16 vehicles and arrested two people who were wanted for other crimes; the next day, Wednesday, police handed out 113 summons, confiscated 10 vehicles, and made one arrest.
On Jan. 9, cops wrote 88 summons, took in 14 vehicles, and made seven arrests.
Chief Alps says arrests during toll enforcement operations like those ongoing in the Congestion Relief Zone are not uncommon.
“Just this morning, we had two individuals come down Ninth Avenue, one with a plate that wasn’t matched — it was an out-of-state plate that didn’t match the car. We stopped him, we looked at his driver’s license — he’s a felony unlicensed operator. He’s placed under arrest. This is a guy that is on parole for robbery into 2026,” Alps said. “We stopped another individual, that individual’s license was also suspended, felony, and the plate that was attached to the car was a fraudulent paper plate.”
“So again, there’s multiple reasons behind why we do what we do, but ultimately it’s for public safety,” Alps added.
While cops say their operations have been successful and helped take dangerous criminals off the roadway, New Yorkers from across the five boroughs have overwhelmingly condemned the congestion pricing toll, with many dubbing it a “money grab.”
