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
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