Toronto cops are parking illegally everywhere with impunity so they can get coffee

Cops seem to be parking wherever the heck they want in Toronto these days, especially illegal parking spaces in close proximity to purveyors of coffee and/or donuts.

A viral incident earlier this month involved a citizen confronting a pair of scofflaw police officers for parking illicitly on a Starbucks run. In the video, the man was chastised by Constable Mona Strazzella, who defended police parking illegally for coffee, and ultimately flipped the filmer a middle finger gesture.

Unfortunately, it seems the public blowback from this incident hasn't really made much of an impression on some cops, who are back to the same old thing.

Coming just days after that viral middle finger incident, another set of photos shared to Reddit this week shows a police car parked illegally in a northbound bike lane at Richmond and Sherbourne this past Saturday, and an officer lined up inside a Tim Hortons right next to said bike lane.

Another day, another non sense from police.
byu/Cosworth_ intorontobiking

When photographed and confronted about the illegal parking job, the officer reportedly accused the cyclist of biking on the sidewalk prior to entering the establishment.

When confronted, the officer accused the cyclist who took the photo of riding on the sidewalk. We need automated enforcement now. Adding insult to injury, the Law Enforcement Complaint Agency refuses to investigate police that park in bike lanes. #notsafe4bikesTO #bikelanes #tps

— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) August 13, 2024

The completely illegal and irresponsible parking spot has been a favourite of 51 Division cops for years, and it's not the only place they've gotten away with skirting parking by-laws.

This follows similar cases of cops parking in bike lanes, inconveniencing riders and potentially putting them at risk of injury or death, just to top up on coffee and donuts.

Police largely reside outside of the city where bike lanes are rare, but these aren't the only parking rules and basic common courtesies officers are ignoring in Toronto.

A public plaza next to the 52 Division police station has frequently been used as a private fenced-off parking lot by police over the years.

Another case that underscored how police are treated under a separate rule book occurred when a Toronto cop was seen issuing tickets to cars on Grosvenor Street, all while an OPP patrol car was parked illegally on a sidewalk directly across the street.

blogTO has reached out to the Toronto Police Service for comment on the latest controversial parking job.