The NYPD’s Green Facelift

Boys! Girls! Friends! Lovers!

I know that it’s not very popular to rag on the NYPD, even though the massive amounts of good will they amassed over the year following September 11th is pretty much spent now.  It’s with this karmic sense of the world– and of the NYPD, who in the days before they were unilaterally given sainthood eight years ago, were known to perforate off-work street vendors and show newly married immigrants the NYPD’s definition of doggie style– that I viewed the Courteous, Professional, and Respectful (hah!) members of New York’s finezst with their green- friendly squad cars.

Admittedly, Mayor Mike Bloomberg is an altogether different man than Rudy “Noun/Verb/9/11″ Giuliani, and despite having bought a third term in office, has shown that at least with the green initiative, he just might be onto something.  So while New York’s Finest stands as the most recognizable police force in the country, it’s image– and its style– seems to be progressing proportionately with its mayors.

I don’t know, though.  Probably the greenest vehicle in all of New York City for the last seven years running has been the pedicab business, and the city’s council head, Quinlan, has been on the rampage to get the dear old Tricycles O’ Death off of the road..  Just ask these guys how they feel about her and the NYPD, who have a tendency to scoff at the men who ride them through the city’s streets.   Still, the pedicabbers in New York (the smart ones anyway,) always find ways to make the argument that they’re contributing to the greening of the Big Apple, so once these squad cars hit the road in full force, they might be able to slide every once in a while.

Via Jalopnik