While parking ticket enforcement is up in Chicago, ticket revenue payments are down for the past four months.
That’s according to a report by Carol Marin & Don Moseley last night on NBC 5, and in today’s Sun-Times which both say, for May through August of 2009, ticket revenue is down $3.9 million from the same period a year ago.
One wonders if it’s just the effects of a difficult recession and motorists inability to pay that accounts for this steep decline, or is it possibly a mild form of protest as well?
Posted in 
Chicago needs to get with it:
Bench Warrant:
Were you ordered to pay a fine or restitution, and failed to do so? The courts will usually authorize a “petition to show cause” that orders you to court to explain why you’re not complying. If you fail to show up, or show cause; expect a bench warrant.
DoR Employee,
In a perfect world, I could understand it. There are too many tix that mailed (bus lane violations, red light cam tix, etc). It’s odd because the city trusts the mail to get to you. If you mail payment or contestment to the city, you can’t depend it. They’ll tell you did you have delivery confirmation, etc.
For moving violations issued to the driver, that are handed to the driver are fair game for bench warrants. But for parking related tix, no bench warrants.
Bench warrant. Thats rich.
In Cook County? That will work in Peoples Court and for Dog the Bounty Hunter I guess. Think about it, if the guy isn’t paying the fine already, how will he be able to do it behind bars? Then the tax payers have to pay for his health care, room and board, etc. over parking tickets? We’ll be spending more than what would ever be paid in fines. I don’t think debtors’ prison is legle anymore. How about this, stop writing so many tickets and do something to entice people to spend money in the city. Lower taxes, lighten up on the parking restrictions, red light cameras, etc. Until then the suburbs will be getting my money.
Mark,
You got a great point. I was out in Oakbrook to catch dinner and I had to sigh for a minute. There’s like 5-10 top quality restaurants there and guess what. THERE’S A HUGE PARKING LOT!! NO METERS, PAY BOXES, TOW ZONES, ETC. Park your car for free, and choose a place to eat. Oh, BTW there’s lots of stores out there that charge less sales tax than Toddler’s county does.
Unless Chicago does something fast, taxes will sky rocket. Give Sundays and Holidays back free for meters. Lower sales tax. The city’s beauty is awesome, but lately it seems too expensive. Even McCormick Place is hurting. Besides being a maze because it’s all disjointed, it’s way too expensive for companies to have their conventions there.
Mark hits the nail on the perverbial head. To the motorist the City of Chicago appears to be doing everything they can to discourage visitors, commercial trade and a feeling of “welcome” due to budget “shortfals”. As such, people sense the greed and take their business elsewhere, it’s not complicated. Examine the labor union’s chokehold on the city, as in the example of lost McCormick Place exhibitor revenue, $50M there alone. Now the “bosses” can blame the economy, tourism or anything else for this but they won’t blame themselves. Possibly the city bosses will shorten the traffic signal yellow lights another second or two to make up for parking meter revenue loss. If that happens the lights would never change and traffic would come to a complete standstill! Come to think of it, the lights would “reflect” their bosses’ attitude which
doesn’t change either.
Right on Barnet & Mike!!!
It’s like the Mayor wants to drive people away from the city. What the hell?
Mark….the threat of Jail time is most effective in getting a large percentage of society to follow the rules.
I have a 1.5% dismissal rate on my tickets this year.
But 17% of my Citations go to a hearing because people think they can do what they want when they want to and shouldn’t be penalized for it.
If you knew for a fact that failing to pay 3 or more parking tickets could result in a bench Warrant; you’d make sure you never got into that situation.
dor,
I appreciate your hard work. The city should have more hard workers like you. I just wish you weren’t writing tickets and transferred to another department like the police. Or at least the city should give more discretion in your job. Maybe even combine the PEA’s, crossing guards and TMA’s. This way you guys aren’t always doing the same thing day after day.
Anyways, jail time is not a deterrent. The city has plenty of robbers, murderers, drug dealers, etc. who have all been to jail. When they get out they fall into their old ways, robbing, killing and dealing. The governor just released some prisoners for nonviolent crimes. If we can’t keep the prisoners in jail who have been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced, a judge will not take the time to go after parking ticket scofflaws.
Look at it like this, ever since the city has outlawed handguns we have not had one murder related to them, no shooting, nothing. Of course I’m being silly. A criminal willing to shot a gun, commit a robbery with one, whatever, doesn’t care what the law says.
This democratic paradise we live in, city, county, state and federal government, has made us broke. Unless you are willing to take a few unpaid furlough days so Ray-Ray can spend some time in jail, I don’t think bench warrants will solve the problem. Court costs money, if Ray-Ray can’t pay his tickets, he isn’t going to pay for a lawyer. Which means I have to pay for his lawyer. If he gets locked up, I have to pay for his room and board, medical treatment, and so on. We would be paying thousands of dollars to get back a few hundred.
There are already plenty of repercussions for nonpayment. The boot, a tow, suspended drivers license, fines and late fees. The most practical I think is the tow. The boot can be taken off and the fines can be ignored. The suspended dl is nice but he can still drive and when he crashes into my car without insurance I am stuck with the bill. Take Ray-Ray’s car away and now you get his attention. I’m temped to even say take away any car he is driving. Ray-Ray will adapt and not put the car in his name. Instead he will drive baby’s mamma’s car. But she needs the car too and will give some hard luck story. I’m still working out the details of my master society so give it time. That was a joke.
The threat of jail-time for the aforementioned infractions is only a deterrent to people already concerned about following the law(s).
Towing someone’s precious vehicle seems to be the single most effective way to enforce.
DoR-
I believe you are right. Bench warrants would be effective. However, there is no way politically the city council would go for it. They’re already catching hell for the lease deal, rising enforcement, etc.
While I think it would be effective, I’m unsure if I like the policy or not. I lean toward it being pretty harsh. It seems booting/towing is the best weapon for now.
A Real Enforcement Tool
Someone grew a brain at Council Chambers evidently:
* People caught driving on a revoked or suspended license in Chicago could soon have their cars impounded.
An ordinance to take that action was approved today by the Chicago city council’s police and fire committee. A previous, similar proposal failed because the Department of Streets and Sanitation did not have sufficient room for impounded vehicles.
The new ordinance goes before the full city council Wednesday.
Now will it pass the full Council? Remember, this is going to come down on those who think that driving is a right, not a privilege. And on owners who lend their cars to people who shouldn’t be anywhere near a bicycle, let alone a vehicle. This could be interesting.
From:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7124257
for those that want free meters on sundays and overnites, it won’t happen. i’m pretty sure if the city changes their deal, they have to make up the shortfall in revenue. once again daley and his band of minions sold the city down the river and small business is taking a direct hit.
DoR: You’re frightening me. Sounding a little too much like that cop blog.
Some overzealous meter maid with an ax to grind should not dictate the freedoms of another over what could possibly be a incorrectly issued citation. I think you’d see even more violence directed towards those that write tickets and issue boots.
I found Patrick Daley in this recent youtube video looking fat and drunk while partying with Billy Dec in Moscow. Patrick Daley is NOT MAYORAL MATERIAL and that is evident. But IN THIS VIDEO BILLY DECK CALLS PATRICK DALEY HIS “BUSINESS PARTNER”. He is spending all that stolen taxpayer money hiding in Moscow which has no extradition treaty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XLgvvXlMi4
Based on Dor’s comments the city is enforcing “the law” with bench warrants AKA violence and threats. More reason for conventions not to hold their events in Chicago. The Consumer Electronics Show which used to hold their convention in Chicago would draw 100,000 attendees, but not anymore. This was due to abusive treatment by the Daley-backed unions.
what does…….it matter???? as long…..as our ticket count…..is going….up……..people will pay….eventually…….
So now that you have criminalized parking tickets the burden of proof shifts from prima facie evidence to probable cause and beyond a reasonable doubt. I don’t want a parking Nazi who is graded on how many tickets they write and paid a few dollars over minimum wage putting anyone on jail. The city would be spending millions of dollars in court fees, lawsuits, room and board, medical fees, and so on.
Dor, wait until you get your first civil suit and have to go to federal court because of a parking ticket you wrote. It doesn’t matter if you were right or wrong. A lawyer will see dollar signs and smell blood in the water and you are the weakest link. You have no union protection and are not a peace officer. The city will throw you under the bus. You could be hit for punitive damages too. All for a parking ticket?
Let’s pretend I’m the lawyer questioning you:
Do you keep records on every ticket issued? Is a report made? Anything inventoried? Any witnesses? How many tickets do you write a day? What can you tell me about this ticket (written three years ago)? I could go on. I hope you get my point. You will be painted as some lunatic who is conspiring to frame an innocent parker.
Going to court is a whole new ballgame. You are not prepared or trained for it.
Mark…….actually I am trained for it.
Thanks to my GI Bill paid for university degree.
Funny thing……Since 99% of the tickets Revenue PEA’s write are done on a computer……I would have no problems getting a copy of a ticket from the mythical 3 years ago.
Q: Do I keep records on every ticket issued?
A: Sir…the City keeps computerized records.
Q: is a report made?
A: The Citation is the report.
Q: Anything Inventoried?
A: It was not a vehicle Impound, thus no inventory required.
Q: Any Witnesses?
A: Photographic Record of **Insert Violation Type**
attached to violation by .JPG
Q: How many tickets do you write a day?
A: Depends on the Day.
Q: What can you tell me about Ticket #2wwe4 from 3 years ago.
A: **looks at Ticket printout** **explains the violation and municipal code**
2 things..
PEA’s are not required by city policy to report for Hearings on the tickets we issue….otherwise we’d never be able to issue tickets as we would be in court all day every day.
Oh…..if someone wants to go the distance and take it to the County Court level……they are more than welcome to subpoena me. I work the same schedule that the courts do. But I will be more than happy to turn around and file a Harassment suit against the attorney AND their client.
Remember…if for some reason the City does decide to issue a bench warrant for non-payment of all tickets/fines…..that is a decision that would have to be made by the 5th Fl of City Hall, and then the AlderRubberstamp Crew has to approve it.
It is a personal opinion, and I don’t actually advocate it while I am at work to anyone that might actually run with the idea. Our job is hard enough working in the gettohoods of the South/West/North side areas that we don’t need to worry about some asshole with a 300usd POS going Rambo on the first PEA that is spotted.
Oh……I’d hardly call 23 an Hour a few bucks over Minimum wage.
Good article about the parking meter lease deal in the New York Times , Chicago edition . ” Company Piles Up Profits From City’s Parking Meter “Deal – http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/20cncmeters.html
DoR Employee Says:
Oh…..if someone wants to go the distance and take it to the County Court level……they are more than welcome to subpoena me. I work the same schedule that the courts do. But I will be more than happy to turn around and file a Harassment suit against the attorney AND their client.
My Comment:
Being called into Court to testify to the accuracy of the ticket that you wrote is called “harassment”? That’s pure and utter non-sense. If someone does decide to take it all the way to Court they are certainly entitled to call the key witness and its clearly not harassment. A law suit filed for harassment in such case would likely be actionable for abuse of process. But hey, go ahead…..
As for your earlier comment, yes, its too bad that you would not be able to be out on the street if you have to be at the hearings, but that’s how the legal process works in the United States. Its a basic right to be able to actually face the witness.
David…you are right about the abuse of process theory.
But when one gets threatened with a Subpoena several times a day for a couple of years just because they are doing their job correctly…you’ll pardon if I sound a little pissy.