Seattle police: Parking scofflaw owes city more than $78K
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SEATTLE -- In a city with a picture-perfect skyline, it's no secret that parking can be a problem - just ask the city itself.
"There's a few people who are in the 'exceptional' category when it comes to what we would consider a scofflaw," said Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, spokesman for the Seattle Police Department. "Ultimately it doesn't matter if you owe $500 to the city or $50,000 to the city; what we would hope is you would do the right thing and start going about the process to pay it back."
Hundreds of people haven't paid the city for parking fines they've racked up, city records show. The top five parking scofflaws have collectively amassed a six figure amount in unpaid tickets.
"What we have here are a few people who try to game the system," Whitcomb added.
City records show that Seattle is owed $166,366.12 from the top five worst offenders. One man alone has racked up more than $78,000 in fines related to unpaid parking tickets.
When asked how that could happen, a Seattle Police spokesperson said it used to be easier for scofflaws to evade the law.
"I think there's a period of time where there wasn't a really solution to deal with those people," Whitcomb said. "Now with this boot program we're able to hold people to a higher level of accountability."
Seattle began booting cars for the worst offenders in July 2011. Since then, the city has brought in $2.2 million through the program, to help pay for streets and sanitation programs - and more.
As far as going after the worst offenders, Whitcomb said the city hands overdue accounts to collections agencies, so you won't see officers necessarily pounding on the door of the worst scofflaws.
"There's not that many people out there like that," Whitcomb added, "but if you're listening, Mr. or Mrs. 'I-owe-a-lot-of-money-on-my-parking-tickets,' I would encourage you to call the city and get set up on a payment program because that's the right thing to do."
The top five scofflaws:
- 641 tickets totaling $78,340.88
- 201 tickets totaling $24,096.69
- 193 tickets totaling $23,509.74
- 177 tickets totaling $21,331.92
- 191 tickets totaling $19,086.89
All parking enforcement laws are illegal on their face. I magine telling a man he has to pay to tie his horse to the hitching post. Horses pooped in the streets. There was no fine.  Raw sewage flowed beside the boardwalk.  Now we pay up yings yang for use of a paved road and yet we must pay to park on said road. The money goes to pay their salry. Whats wrong with this picture?Â
".... As far as going after the worst offenders, Whitcomb said the city hands overdue accounts to collections agencies, so you won't see officers necessarily pounding on the door of the worst scofflaws ...."
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Too bad. If an officer WAS knocking on their door, the officer would have the legal authority to haul their @44 off to jail, where a judge could "help:" them arrange to take care of things.
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Perhaps some public humiliation? Why should they get off scott free, when the rest of us all pay our fines? Post their names, photos, and pictures of their cars & pplates so we ALL know who to be on the lookout for. If they are spotted, someone can call the police & then they can be taken to jail, where they deserve to be. They are "stealing" from the rest of the citizens of Seattle.
I understand that they are public streets, but those public streets have rules attached to them...specifically parking rules. If you get a ticket for parking because you are breaking the rules, then you should be punished, and in Seattle that is called a parking ticket. Park proper or pay the fine. For those who choose not to pay their fines I agree with the boot idea, but I also think if the tickets are not paid in a timely manner after that...say within 5-10 days, then the vehicle should be impounded at the owners expense. Or perhaps their vehicle registration should be tagged, and when they go to renew their vehicle license they should have to pay off any outstanding fines or they are not able to renew.Â
I'm curious - where's the written agreement between the parker and the city saying the parker must pay the city for parking on public streets? Â It will always be lawful to park on public streets, and it is only illegal if you violated an agreement. Â Signs saying you must pay are not an agreement, nor would it ever be unlawful to ignore them.
Can you say "garnished wages"? That's what needs to be done if they're owing that much money!
Well maybe instead of booting the cars, they should impound them? Not sure of the legalities of that...but it might nudge the recalcitrants. Just pay the tickets already...and clean up the parking act...that amount of ticket action would pay for a LOT of pay lot time.
How do you get that many parking tickets? Because you are knowingly doing it and don't care. Isn't there some other crime they can be charged with? And why don't they send them to collections and garnish wages?
when the car finally gets booted, the collection agency has to listen to wailing and crying. Ummmm sorry. Pay it off. The rest of us have to pay our tickets.
Right because no one has ever been erroneously ticketed .
Yes, I'm sure the person with $78K outstanding was ticketed 641 times. If erroneously ticket and get it taken away. Easy process having done it before.
 @Charlie Mukilteo There was one cop in Germany who would wait by my car every day for 4pm to roll around, because where I worked - unless you had a special permit - you could only park on that side of the street from 10am-4pm, and he knew I didn't have that permit, but there were never any spots on the other side of the road. Once he gave me a ticket as I was getting into my car there right at 4pm. I called him a "ticket Nazi." He didn't respond kindly to that. :)
Wow so when they get another ticket cant the meter maid tell that they owe that and boot the car right there.. come on you out peoples names for everything why arent they telling use there names, its public record, probably because they are lawyers no one else has a reason to be downtown getting all those tickets but a lawyer or very rich person thats why they wont name them scared to get sued.. WTF go get them
"As far as going after the worst offenders, Whitcomb said the city hands overdue accounts to collections agencies, so you won't see officers necessarily pounding on the door of the worst scofflaws."
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I think if a guy owes more than 78 grand worth of tickets, you can send SOMEONE to knock on their damn door!
I will bet all of your money that that person is a millionaire.
The white wale!
*****************SKWAAAK!*****************
Dispatcher: " Car 54 do you have a copy, over"?
Officer: "10-4"
Dispatcher: "Any sign of ajohnsoccer21,over"
Officer: "Not at the moment"
Dispatcher: "Give him until 1900 to illegally park, if no sign of him by then, bring it on home,over"
Officer: "10-4"
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18:59 the perp was ticketed.
Maybe they should publish the names of those offenders.
Perfect timing for this article.... today I parked on a nearly empty street in the U district area at 6:56pm where I am staying for the weekend where I am taking care of my gf with stage 4 cancer (at age 21). I will admit I did make the mistake and not properly read the sign as im used to after 6pm you dont pay.. well when I got inside the place she asked if I paid and she then informed me she read on the sign when she checked in that you have to pay till 8pm.. I went outside and at 6:59pm I had a ticket on my car already and the officer was no where to be seen.... I understood the ticket though it was obvious he had waited for me to park and leave.   What upset me was the fact there were 2 other cars parked in front of me that had no paid either and not one of them was issued a ticket. (both had handicap sticker) .... they were parked in a payzone as well on the street and is there a special pass they get for having a handicap sticker in their window ... or did I get singled out this evening...
 @ajohnsoccer21 Disabled people are allowed to park for free. http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/disabledparking.htm
@twudude Thank you for that info.... damn, my gf has one that I keep in my car for her, but only use it for her and im not out to cheat the system... just crappy I couldnt even get 3 minutes outside to pay and already had $44 ticket on a street that had probably 30 openings still.... oh well...
 @ajohnsoccer21 If you take the option to explain the circumstance (they tell you how to do this on the back of the ticket) they will usually reduce it. I got a ticket a couple of years ago for parking in a boat/trailer spot at Golden Gardens - it was after dark and there were no boats in the lot - all of the spots were filled with cars without trailers. I just parked without reading the sign and got a ticket. I wrote a letter that was very apologetic and took responsibility for not reading the sign, but mentioned that it was dark and all of the other spots were filled with single cars that didn't have trailers, so I had just assumed they were regular spots. The ticket was reduced to $20.