Guy Made $9,000 By Snitching On Motorists Who Leave Vehicles Idling

Within the pages upon pages of law, there are certain things that many of us may not be considering. For example, in New York, there are laws about leaving a vehicle idling for a certain period of time. This is a law to which 23 states conform in some way. For motorists in New York, they can only let their vehicle run for a maximum of three minutes. Otherwise, they can be slapped with a $325 fine. Now, one look at this law kind of gives us the feeling that it’s one that will never actually really be enforced. However, it seems like some civilians have other ideas in mind.

It just so happens that for those who have access to a smart phone, they can start making their own money for documenting violations in New York. Any time a civilian is able to spot a vehicle idling more than three minutes, they can make a quick buck. In fact, they can make 25% of the value of the ticket should they properly document and turn in a violation. It’s not hard to imagine how this concept has driven some drivers upper wall. In addition, one spin through the comments section of a video like this has us believing that there aren’t many who are excited about such a situation. It’s like the hall monitors have grown up.

By following along with the video below, we meet the people who are actually spending their free time to go around and check on vehicles that are disobeying this law. It kind of creates a weird line to be drawn somewhere between the policing for-profit and not. Even beyond the idea of enforcing this particular law with civilian help, it really raises some questions. Is it a good idea for civilians to participate in law-enforcement at all? Should this sort of concept spread to other regulations as well?