A former NYPD officer who claims he was fired after ticketing a city employee who was illegally parked is suing the police department.
Linpeng Gao and his partner were patrolling on May 13 when they saw an illegally parked car, according to the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday. Gao said he noticed a city employee ID card inside the car as his partner started writing a parking summons.
A woman then approached the officers while yelling that she worked for New York City and that they were going to lose their jobs, according to the suit.
The NYPD fired Gao three days later.
The suit does not specify which agency issued the card and Gao’s attorney declined to comment. The NYPD also declined to comment, citing pending litigation, but denied that Gao was fired over the ticket.
Street safety advocates have for years expressed outrage at the “placard class” of city employees who flout parking rules thanks to government-issued (or fraudulent) placards. In April, the Department of Investigation issued a report finding that the NYPD routinely ignores complaints about placard abuse.
At the time, Gao was still under the NYPD’s probationary period for new officers. The police department is at liberty to fire an officer during that period if it has the approval of the police commissioner.
The probationary period is normally two years, but Gao’s was extended by six months due to a “disciplinary matter,” according to court filings. An article in the China Press reported that Gao was fired for suspected “improper money transactions.” Gao denied any improprieties in the suit.
The city Law Department said it will review the case.