30 Replies to "Parking scofflaw? Beware - 'boots' spotted along Alki"

• Kent July 7, 2011 (1:27 pm)

  Saw a car with a nice new boot yesterday parked in front of Lafayette Elementary.

• Ed July 7, 2011 (1:31 pm)

  Do we need this kind of spying – and possible embarrassment – on who could
  be our neighbors?

• R26 July 7, 2011 (1:34 pm)

  They were by the YMCA 7/6 in the AM. LOOK OUT! :)

• KBear July 7, 2011 (1:44 pm)

  Ed, if your neighbors pay their parking tickets, this won’t happen to them. If they don’t, then I am glad the city plans to hold them accountable.

• WSB July 7, 2011 (1:44 pm)

  I’m more interested in what the boot looks like than in “embarrassing” anyone, if you’re referring to our photo request. We don’t even show license plate numbers in routine stories. But the city did give two months warning that it was going to do this – we published that warning (and paid off our own lone unpaid ticket lest the booting threshold suddenly drop!) … TR

• coffee July 7, 2011 (1:54 pm)

  I thought that there was a picture in the Times online on Tuesday. I did see the new enforcement car driving by Delridge and Thistle around noon today. It has 2 readers on the roof reading plates as it drives up and down the streets.

• maude July 7, 2011 (2:26 pm)

  I’m suddenly concerned about having a parking ticket that I don’t remember getting. Do you know if there is a way to look it up?

• What 4th Amendment July 7, 2011 (2:33 pm)

  I don’t have a problem with parking enforcement. I have a problem with the city scanning everyone’s license plates in a dragnet without cause.

• Kayleigh July 7, 2011 (2:52 pm)

  We saw one on Alki last night, too. The car didn’t look illegally parked. Can they boot your car solely based on the past tickets, even if you’re currently legally parked? Sorry if that’s a dumb question.

• SarahScoot July 7, 2011 (4:54 pm)

  Kayleigh: yes, the point is to boot ticket “scofflaws” – those with unpaid parking tickets over a certain dollar amount total. Otherwise, what would be the point? Someone could have racked up thousands in tickets prior to July 1st, and then just be really careful to park legally after that point (yeah, I know that wouldn’t happen).

• elikapeka July 7, 2011 (4:56 pm)

  We saw one on Alki last night, too. The car didn’t look illegally parked. Can they boot your car solely based on the past tickets, even if you’re currently legally parked? Sorry if that’s a dumb question.

  Comment by Kayleigh — July 7, 11 2:52 pm

  Yep, if you’re parked on a public right of way you’re fair game. Not a dumb question. They can’t come onto a private lot or driveway and boot you, though.

• GG July 7, 2011 (5:08 pm)

  Boots aren’t a bad idea. If you have tickets….take care of your business. What I find most disgusting,is a city with financial problems contracting with ANOTHER out of state co. to administer the program.If you get booted you call a phone # in Georgia or somewhere. What? We don’t have a parking enforcement division that can handle this?At least then the bucks would stay here. Just like red light cams, another out of state vendor.

• coffee July 7, 2011 (5:32 pm)

  I found out I had an old ticket by going on the city web site and putting in my license plate. Didn’t even know I had the ticket it was 2 years old and I cannot remember that far back! I then ran down to city hall on the 30th to pay it. I asked the lady behind the counter if she was busy and she said she couldn’t wait for this to be over because they have been swamped.

• Paul July 7, 2011 (5:45 pm)

  Sorry can’t get a picture but the one I saw on california the other day looked sleek and compact, not like those big bulky ones you see on parking wars. also it was on the front passenger wheel…. I will not describe the car as that might possibly embarrass one of your neighbors Ed

• metrognome July 7, 2011 (5:55 pm)

  GG — if you want to start your own business … the city has to go out to bid, otherwise people would be complaining that the mayor gave the contract to his best friend.
  You don’t have to rack up thousands in tickets; all it takes is 4 unpaid, delinquent parking tickets on one vehicle. And yes, there is a place to check to see if you have any unpaid tickets (see link on this page):

  http://www.seattle.gov/scofflaw/

  … there are 20,000 vehicles with ‘scofflaw’ status are eligible for booting; registered owners were sent letters …

  you have until July 15 to pay parking and traffic infractions in fill (collection fees and interest will be waived)before a car gets the boot.

  TR: here is their website complete with, you guessed it, a YouTube video (turn the volume down.)

  http://www.paylock.com/

• blander July 7, 2011 (6:07 pm)

  Maude,
  .
  You can look up you vehicle (or anyone else’s) at the Seattle Municiple court site:
  .
  http://web1.seattle.gov/courts/cpi/
  .
  I’m not sure if the site is comprehensive, but I think tickets are listed there.
  .
  I find this whole thing annoying for many reasons, but AT LEAST MAKE IT EASY FOR CITIZENS TO FIND OUT IF THEY HAVE TICKETS, SEATTLE!!!

• marty July 7, 2011 (7:17 pm)

  I saw a gentleman with a boot on his car near the boat launch jacking up his car to try to remove the boot! I made a quicl call to the police. What a loser…

• wsguy July 8, 2011 (3:22 am)

  What em I missing here. We already have a system in place to catch these “scofflaws” it’s called the department of Licening it is simple as you go to get your tabs they run your information if you have unpaid parking tickets NO TABS. and if you drive with out tabs you get pulled over and car inpounded. So why are we spending tax dollars on these new car readers and the people to operate them with this system already in place. Any help?

• Skeeter July 8, 2011 (8:22 am)

  wsguy – good question. Does anyone notice if these booted cars have current tabs?

  I doubt this is costing taxpayer dollars. I suspect to get your car unbooted, you must pay all tickets PLUS all late fees PLUS a boot removal fee (to the vendor.) That’s my guess.

• DP July 8, 2011 (8:30 am)

  This is what cities do when they run out of money, right? —Traffic light cams, speed traps, parking-ticket boots . . .
  .
  No, it’s not pleasant (for the scofflaws anyway) but it’s still better than raising property/sales taxes and cutting essential services.

• Ed July 8, 2011 (9:56 am)

  Regarding the boots on cars. Thanks for deleting
  lic plates, WSB.

  There is point when keeping apprised of what’s going on in the neighborhood, can become intrusive
  and even an invasion of privacy.

  While one can’t expect complete anonymnity in the city, lets be thoughtful and try to give each other some of the privacy we expect for ourselves.

  thanks

• Bunnyfer July 8, 2011 (10:43 am)

  Ed, from Wikipedia:
  In United States constitutional law the expectation of privacy is a legal test which is crucial in defining the scope of the applicability of the privacy protections of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is related to, but is not the same thing as a right of privacy, a much broader concept which is found in many legal systems (see privacy law)…
  In general, one cannot have an expectation of privacy in public places, with the exceptions mentioned above[sic]. A well-known example is denial of privacy for garbage left for collection in a public place.

• D. Brent July 8, 2011 (10:57 am)

  I don’t think we as a society should be all that concerned with privacy for people who break the law and/ or who refuse to take responsibility for their actions. Personally, I’m weary of people making excuses and always asking for exceptions. I’m in favor of using the concept of public shame to incentivize people not to break laws in the first place. Bring back the stocks in the public square I say!

• fb July 8, 2011 (12:10 pm)

  I’m not sure why we’re reporting where these are other than for curiosity sake. After all, if these folks are finally paying their parking fines, theoretically that would mean that the city would be less inclined to raise other taxes to compensate for their non-collection, like taxes and fees the rest of us pay. I’d rather the scofflaws finally pay up, they’ve been given enough warning. It amazes me why a vendor has to be enriched for the $ to be collected, though.

• KBear July 8, 2011 (12:51 pm)

  The whole reason cars are required to display license plates at all times is so they can be identified by law enforcement. Police run random license checks all the time. The notion that this is somehow an invasion of privacy is ridiculous.

• pjmanley July 8, 2011 (2:37 pm)

  I’ve had my share of tickets over the years, and I always paid them off, but sometimes not until they landed at a collection agency after 15 days or so. Why? Simple. I didn’t have the money.

  What irked me was that the collection outfit didn’t do squat. Never called. Never mailed. Zip. Zero. Nothing. But I had to pay them a $25 fee, I guess for “hosting” my ticket number on their computer, or it wouldn’t go away.

  Sure, I shouldn’t drive, eat, drink or breathe unless I can afford to do so. But all those things have to be done to earn and collect a paycheck so I can pay my fines, right?

  Point is that these programs typically fall hardest on people who have the least money. Scofflaws, sure, but is $25 per ticket to a collection agency that does absolutely nothing, and hundreds to a boot unlocking company a real or fair price in the marketplace for the punishment to fit the crime? Or is it a highway robbery scam, sanctioned by City government, which earns only a pittance of the fines in the end anyways?

  Seems like the city gets awful punitive when it needs money, and winds up lining private company pockets for no good reason. Just bugs me.

• L July 8, 2011 (9:18 pm)

  the real question is why did the city contract a company from new jersey to handle this parking issue? where is the revenue really going? the city should be accountable for its decision to contract out of state.

• Nulu July 9, 2011 (1:04 pm)

  pjmanley equates driving with drinking eating and breathing?
  –
  Can’t afford to pay a parking ticket when you are paying $4 per gallon for gas?
  –

• Fulski July 9, 2011 (8:27 pm)

  You don’t get booted unless you have 4 UNPAID parking tickets. Those getting booted probably have significantly more. Don’t feel sorry for them. They have be slackers in not paying their fines to the city. They are deadbeats not to be felt sorry for.

• Jay July 24, 2011 (10:29 pm)

  There are people that feel they are above the law, and which in turn, are the reasoning for the concept of the law.

  It is also the people that are far too fearful of these laws, that allow these petty B.S. laws to breed like a harmful bacteria, and infect our whole society.

  The pompous, need discipline, and the wimpy need courage.

  To the whistle-blowing wimp who called the police about the guy with the jack: Shame on you. You were not any part of a link in that chain. Before the cell phone age you would have probably gotten beaten, and deservedly, for nosing into someone else’s business.

  To those of you idiots with boots on your car, it is because you are just that. Bratty idiots. You will probably get yours as well.

  This is only a drop in the bucket compared to defaults on car loans and repossession. These boots just encourage people to default even further, or retaliate.
  I say, if the police find their target, they wait it out, and slap the cuffs on, like real men.
  I must do the same thing when repossessing vehicles on the wrong side of the tracks in Sh1tsville, U.S.A.

Sorry, comment time is over.