The Linden Police Department is reminding the city’s residents that they cannot save street parking spaces.

Police say that just because one shovels snow out of a parking spot on the street, doesn’t mean that they own that spot. They say that there have been 50 disputes over parking spaces this month following a major snowstorm – some threatening violence.

Police say that some residents have been using chairs, stools and even walkers to claim their spots.

“Once you shovel out, it’s a public road and nothing can be placed in the roadway to save a spot,” says Police Chief David Hart.

Linden police and the Department of Public Works spent Tuesday hauling away objects from 25 parking spots in the city. They say that they do not want to see the disputes escalate.

Authorities say that one resident found a note on her car that read, “Next time you’ll need four new tires and six new windows,” along with some profanity.

“They thought that because they cleaned it – and they didn’t actually fully clean it. They just got their car out – now they own the spot,” says Councilman John Francis Roman.

Roman says that people just need to be more neighborly. Linden’s Sixth Ward has tight, dead-end streets that are lined with cars, making it a nightmare after a snowstorm.

“Unfortunately, the residents put the snow back on the streets, which makes it real hard for me to call DPW and say, ‘Hey, DPW, can you do a third pass on this street?’” Roman says.

Police say that they are even trying a gentler approach to get the word out about not saving spots.

“We do feel their frustrations when they’re stuck there. They may have to take an hour or two to dig out their vehicle and then there’s no place to put their cars. This leads to sometimes confrontations with other neighbors,” says Hart.

Some Linden residents tell News 12 that more snow piles need to be cleaned up.

Linden could see up to 9 inches of snow on Thursday.