Tag Archives: Chicago Parking Tickets
Two Cops Cleared In Bogus Parking Ticket Case
Two Chicago Police officers accused of issuing bogus parking tickets to a Palos Hills man, have been cleared of any wrong doing by the Chicago Police Board according to the Chicago Tribune.
The officers were accused of being involved with a ticket writing plot against Mark Geinosky, who received 24 parking tickets at locations he had never been. Geinosky fought and beat all 24 tickets and then filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city.
Jon Yates, the Chicago Tribune’s Problem Solver columnist brought Geinosky’s plight to light back in 2009 after the Chicago Police Department ignored his pleas to investigate the bogus tickets.
Tasered Over Tickets Lady Files Lawsuit
I wasn’t there.
And you weren’t there.
So neither of us know what really happened back on June 5th when Chicago Police officers used a stun gun to subdue an eight month pregnant Tiffany Rent.
But Thursday she’s filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
City Looking To Improve Parking At O’Hare With Technology
The City of Chicago is looking to improve parking at O’Hare Airport.
Not by increasing the 25,000 parking spaces it controls at lots and garages adjacent to the airport, but through technological improvements to allow drivers to use their cell phone to locate and pay for parking.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the city is seeking bids from companies that have technology which will allow drivers to locate open parking spaces within garages or lots and even pay for their parking using smart phone applications.
Drivers with pre-paid parking would not have to wait at long lines to pay for parking before exiting. The city believes they can eventually decrease the number of manned pay booths at each parking lot or garage location.
The story says 3.4 million cars park at O’Hare annually, or an average of 20,000 vehicles a day.
But the bid description also has a mildly sinister request for potential bidders.
Cops Accused Of Bogus Tickets Push Back At Hearing
We didn’t do it.
Someone else wrote those parking tickets.
That’s what two Chicago police officers, accused of writing some of the 24 bogus parking tickets issued to motorist Mark Geinosky, contended in their police board hearings earlier this week.
In other words, according to the Chicago Tribune, the two officers became victims of the same scam that targeted Geinosky when another officer or officers stole a handful of tickets from their ticket books to harass Geinosky.
Trib Problem Solver Gets Driver Parking Ticket Justice
You gotta give it to the Chicago Tribune’s Jon Yates.
He gets things done.
That’s probably why he’s called the Problem Solver.
In his most recent column, Yates takes up the parking ticket dilemma of a local driver who very carefully parked on a metered side of a northside street where meter enforcement ends at 6 PM.
After working out at a local gym, he returned to his car to find a parking ticket on his windshield for an expired meter issued at 6:03 PM.
Ouch.
Turns out, directly across the street, metered parking ends at 9 PM. Confusing to be sure, but a mistake on the part of the ticket writer.
Online Sales For Chicago City Stickers Start Monday
Nearly a full month earlier than last year, starting Monday, Chicago drivers can purchase their annual city vehicle stickers online via the City Clerk’s website.
Traditionally, city sticker sales have started June 1st, a date which kicked off a month of sales, followed by another two week grace period ending July 15th. Drivers who had not purchased and displayed their new city sticker on the windshield of their vehicle risked an expensive parking ticket.
However, since adding an e-commerce option for city stickers purchases to its website, the Clerk’s office has been trying to promote web sales by giving drivers a head start on vehicle sticker purchases if they buy online.
Last year, online sales began May 20th, about a week and a half before in-person sales normally begins.
But this year, the City Clerk’s office is extending the city sticker sales season by nearly six weeks by beginning online sales today, with in-person sales starting May 1st.
To Ticket Or Not To Ticket? Oak Park Debates Whether Illegally Parked Chicago Cop Cars Should Be Ticketed
Sometimes Chicago police officers who work on the far west side of the city, drive into the Village of Oak Park to grab a bite to eat.
But recently, a reader of local news website Oak Park.com snapped a few photos of CPD vehicles parking illegally on downtown Oak Park streets and wrote a sarcastic letter about the fact that they don’t get ticketed. Of course, non-cops parking illegally in downtown Oak Park face a much different reality.
But after a flurry of heated debate on the subject on Oak Park.com, another reader posted a photo of a police cruiser with a bright orange parking ticket envelope on its windshield.
Court Says Bogus Parking Ticket Case Can Move Forward
There are ups and downs to any court case.
Wednesday was an up day for Mark Geinosky according to the Chicago Tribune.
That’s when the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision that threw out Geinosky’s lawsuit against the City of Chicago and several Chicago police officers for violating his rights when he was issued many, many bogus parking tickets several years ago.
The Chicago Police Department, after much prodding and attention from the Chicago Tribune’s Jon Yates, is moving to fire four of the officers with hearings scheduled for two at the end of April.
Mayor Plans Easing Terms For Parking Ticket Payment Plans
For years, the City of Chicago has offered payment plans to drivers with substantial outstanding parking ticket and red light camera debt.
However, in many cases, some motorists just couldn’t afford the hefty down payment that was required to initiate the payment plan.
Now, in an effort to induce more drivers to enter into a payment plan and speed up the collection of millions of dollars of outstanding parking ticket and RLC debt, Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced an ordinance last week to make it more affordable for some drivers to begin making payments.
In a statement from the Mayor’s press office, Emanuel recognized the need to make it easier for lower income individuals or people with financial hardships to take advantage of the city’s payment plan program.
“However, we understand the economic hardships many are facing and want to make it easier for them to enter into a good faith agreement so they can begin paying down the debt they owe to the City,” said Emanuel.
NBC 5 Digs Into Local Debt Recovery Program
View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.
NBC 5 digs a bit deeper into the Local Debt Recovery Program, a recently enacted state law that allows municipalities to collect on old debt like parking tickets, red light cameras, water bills, even library fines by going after state tax refunds.
