NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — The NYPD deployed a new technology to get parking pirates to pay: barnacles.
The windshield boot, also known as a “Barnacle Device,” is used to immobilize vehicles that are violating parking regulations.
Barnacle Devices attach to an illegally-parked vehicle's windshield and obstruct the driver’s view, as suction cups with hundreds of pounds of force keep it in place. An anti-tamper alarm sound will play if the vehicle is moved while the Barnacle Device is attached, according to the company, Barnacle Parking.
The device can only be removed by inputting a code that is provided to a law-breaker when they pay their fine.
An NYPD spokesperson told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 on Saturday that the device is part of a pilot program, and that “The NYPD has leased four devices and [will] use them to target illegally parked trucks and vehicles with excess fines.”
A social media post made by Chief of Transportation Philip Rivera on Thursday night was the first ever usage of the device by the NYPD, the spokesperson said.
The operation was targeting illegally parked trucks in Queens, and the post shows the device being used in the vicinity of the northbound Van Wyck Expressway service road and 116th Avenue in Jamaica.
The truck, shown in images provided by Rivera, was in violation of a law prohibiting commercial vehicles from parking on a residential street between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., police said.
“This allows us to hold those accountable, reduce parking congestion & address cars that are a nuisance & hazard to the community,” Rivera said.