By Ben Fractenberg
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
GRAMERCY — Gramercy residents are up in arms over unauthorized street signs giving police academy trainees exclusive parking space, the Daily News reported Thursday.
The placards were placed on the bottom of “No Standing Anytime” signs and read, “Except Authorized Police Academy Vehicles.”
"Police own the block," 31-year resident of East 20th Street, Nordal McWethy, told the News. "They park in every conceivable place. There are no places where other human beings can park. It's much worse now than it's ever been."
The development comes two months after DNAinfo reported area business owners and residents complaining about police from the 13th Precinct and Police Academy hogging all the parking spots.
Business owners at the time said police were parking in unloading zones in front of their stores and then ticketing delivery trucks when they were forced to double park.
Other residents said the police car gridlock had kept their streets from getting cleaned.
In response to the residents' outrage, the NYPD told the News that they would remove the signs. A spokeswoman with the Department of Transportation told the paper that they would also work with the police to address the problem.
A new police academy is expected to open in Queens in two years, the paper reported.
