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thedrifter
11-14-07, 08:32 AM
Marine vehicle gets parking fine, Army towed
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 14, 2007 8:25:33 EST

DALLAS — Several Army recruiters found out Tuesday that they can’t fight Dallas City Hall.

After five of their vehicles were immobilized with metal boots by Dallas city parking services workers, they went to offices of Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and City Manager Mary Suhm. Several city employees told The Dallas Morning News that the soldiers requested meetings, demanded answers and argued they had important places to go.

The city’s response was simple: Pay your parking fines and you’ll get your vehicles.

City records show that the Army owed more than $2,635 in unpaid parking tickets and associated fines on the vehicles.

“I’m sorry they were inconvenienced, but everybody’s got to pay their tickets. If one of our city employees gets a ticket, they pay it, too,” Suhm said.

The parking ticket scofflaws were caught by using a sport utility vehicle-mounted system that identifies the license plates of vehicles with numerous outstanding parking fines.

Using the system, the city on Tuesday also booted a vehicle belonging to the Marines — the $1,065 fine was promptly paid — and two other unidentified government cars, said Zena Fernino, Dallas’ parking management and enforcement division manager.

Soldiers are required by the Army to follow all municipal laws while on official business and are responsible for any parking tickets they incur while driving Army vehicles, said Kim Hanson, a public affairs officer for the Army recruiting battalion in Dallas.

While the Army paid off fines on three of the cars, they were unable to clear the others, which Dallas officials towed to the city auto pound, Fernino said Tuesday night.

Ellie

thedrifter
11-14-07, 08:53 PM
Dallas parking fees

Service branches say GIs who got tickets will pay

08:05 PM CST on Wednesday, November 14, 2007


By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
dlevinthal@dallasnews.com


The U.S. military found itself negotiating a truce Wednesday with Dallas City Hall, a day after city parking officials immobilized eight military recruiting vehicles, and impounded four of them, because the armed forces failed to pay off dozens of parking tickets.

"They've contacted us on numerous occasions today wanting to know what they can do to rectify the situation," said Zena Fernino, Dallas' parking management and enforcement division manager. "They do recognize that they have the outstanding tickets, and they seem very interested in taking care of the situation."

That situation, according to city records, is a five-figure affair: In all, the four military branches owe Dallas $12,265 in unpaid parking fines and fees.

Of that, the Army owes the most ($9,140), followed by the Marines ($3,010) and Navy ($115). The Air Force is debt-free.

"We're concerned. This is something that we definitely want to take care of," said Lt. Col. Gregory Chaney, the commander of retention and recruitment for the Texas Army National Guard.

Col. Chaney says he's sent word to battalions throughout Texas that individual recruiters are responsible for parking tickets they incur while on official business. Ignoring parking tickets, he said, "is unacceptable behavior and something that does not represent our values."

Taxpayer dollars won't be used to pay off debts, as superiors will require the soldiers responsible for incurring the tickets to pay them with their own money, Col. Chaney added.

Dallas is in the process of producing a detailed list of tickets for the military, Ms. Fernino said.

Among the cars Dallas immobilized Tuesday with metal boots, five belonged to the Army, one to the Marines and two to an unidentified service branch.

The Army vehicles alone had accrued $2,635 in fines and associated fees, and upon finding their vehicles going nowhere fast, several fatigues-clad soldiers marched straight to Dallas City Hall and demanded answers from the offices of Mayor Tom Leppert and City Manager Mary Suhm.

The city's response? Pay your fines, and we'll free your cars.

The Army paid up on three vehicles. But as of Wednesday evening, two of the Army vehicles and the two unidentified vehicles continued to sit in the city's auto pound and won't be released until the fines are paid in full, Ms. Fernino said.

Ellie