Manhattan, NY – Residents Fuming over Phony Police Academy Parking Sign

Manhattan, NY – The Gramercy Park block that houses the Police Academy is filled with bogus street signs aimed at creating exclusive spaces for the would-be cops, the Daily News has learned.

Neighbors of the police training facility, long frustrated by cop cars parked on the block, were furious to learn of the scam.

“Police own the block,” griped Nordal McWethy, a 31-year resident of E. 20th St. between Second and Third Aves. “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 half-dozen phony signs, about 4 inches high, were attached to legitimate “No Standing” warnings on the street – with the added words: “Except Authorized Police Academy Vehicles.”

There was another homemade sign straight out of somebody’s basement, with a mismatched mix of red and white lettering barely resembling the standard Department of Transportation signs.

By late Wednesday, no one had owned up to the wrongdoing – although all signs seemed to point toward the academy, where aspiring officers receive six months of training.

“They appear to be unauthorized signs,” said Deputy Inspector Kim Royster, an NYPD spokeswoman. “They will be removed.”

The DOT said it was reviewing the matter. It was not immediately clear when the signs were altered.

“We are working with [the NYPD] and will make any necessary changes or corrections to the signage,” said spokeswoman Nicole Garcia.

Parking remains a signature New York City issue. Around the academy, it’s long been a flash point for residents who complain there are already too many designated spaces for police vehicles.

The five spots available yesterday were occupied by personal cars whose owners displayed police placards instead of feeding the meters.

News of the tampered signs only reignited local anger toward the NYPD.

“We don’t get street cleaning anymore because cops’ cars are always parked here,” complained another resident. “They are terrible neighbors.”

A new Police Academy facility being built at College Point will include a 3,000-car parking garage – but it’s not expected to be finished for at least two years.

Gene Russianoff, senior lawyer for the New York Public Interest Research Group, said it’s important to prevent anyone from taking matters – or meters – into their own hands.

“If every Manhattanite had the ability to procure a sign that said nobody can park here except Joe Smith, they’d be Joe Smith,” Russianoff said. “It doesn’t work that way.”