The Wardrobe

In the kitchen of the old house, you will find a tape recorder in a pile of junk. Use it to record the sound of police cars from the TV upstairs. At the construction site, Nuts can help you get a megaphone. Combine these two items to make a DIY anti-theft device. Use it on the thief in the window behind the moving van. The thief will leave a crowbar you can take. This is all required for story progression. Once you have the crowbar, go back down to the sewers and use it on the parking meter.

Note: This must be done before using the crowbar with the moving van (I think; definitely before using the concrete gum and pipe with the microwave).