NYC uniformed patrol giving out tickets to dog owners

[tsugar]

Last night 6/17 at around 11:00PM I was stopped by a NYC uniform patrol officer because my dog stepped on the edge of the grass. The uniform patrolman looked exactly like a NYC meter maid. He had tickets that looked exactly like the orange parking tickets. They were in a leather flip book, just like meter maids. He showed me the ticket and the first offense is $25, second $50, third $75 and you are automatically fined $250 if your dog is caught pooping on the grass (whether or not you pick it up does not make a difference) and $250 if your dog is off leash.

He said they replaced the PCVST Patrol. It is now patrolled by the City. I asked how that can be and he said he does not get it either.

As a women it is very nerve racking to get stopped by a uniform patrol that you were not aware is patrolling the community. The development never told us of this change. I even got handed a copy of the rules regarding dogs when I was in the Green Market this past Sunday. I was not doing anything wrong, they were just handing out reminders of the rules. It never said anything about a fine or the new patrol.

As you can imagine I am very upset by this. I am a market rate tenant. I was not aware that the development is city run, not private. At least that is what having a NYC Patrol is implying.

Does anyone have any additional information? Is the ticket a NYC fine or a PCVST fine? How are they allowed to fine residents? How can we be forced to pay the fine?