The Justice Department opens an investigation into officers parking on sidewalks in the Bronx

The U.S. Department of Justice is cracking down on officers who park on sidewalks in Brooklyn.

The department has sent a letter to the NYPD warning that a future lawsuit could follow because illegal parking violates the rights of people with disabilities.

According to that letter, allowing police cruisers to turn sidewalks into parking lots and block the entire walkway violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The letter also claims that 91% of all districts in the five boroughs have made the city’s pedestrian network not “easily accessible and usable by persons with disabilities.”

The Southern District of New York says this is an ongoing problem and wanted to investigate the NYPD’s practices.

The DOJ has recommended resolutions that could solve this problem, including creating a new parking policy for city vehicles and creating a complaint system for New Yorkers to report illegal parking.

According to the Department of Justice, the NYPD cooperated with this investigation.

News 12 reached out to police to see how they plan to address these concerns.