The Hartford Parking Authority, using “state-of-the-art license plate recognition technology” is going after the more than 3,200 people who have more than 5 parking tickets. The city’s parking “ambassadors” will now be looking for plates on cars that are chronic parking violators.
Those of you with lots of tickets are urged to pay up — or face a surprise towing. City officials say they are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars from unpaid citations.
According to the parking authority:
License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology enables the Hartford Parking Authority (HPA) to identify chronic parking offenders more efficiently and improve collection efforts. All data collected by the LPR is deleted at the end of each work shift. HPA’s Parking Ambassadors are visible on Hartford streets from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (look for their red shirts or jackets). In addition to enforcement efforts, this team of six people is available to assist parkers with making change for the Pay-and-Display Stations, providing directions, answering questions, and more. When a Parking Ambassador identifies a tow-eligible vehicle, he or she calls the Hartford Police Department for the tow.
Soon it will be hooked up wiht Motor Vehicle and warrant searches, unregistereed or uninsured vehicles can be targeted.
I can’t wait for all this enforement goodness. The city and/or state can hire free lance license plate readers who do nothing but scan plates and the alerts all happen on the back end and route to DMV or law enforcement or a towing company.
About time.
And then they wonder why people don’t want to go downtown. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t pay for parking but you know this will be both a real and a public relations disaster.
Look up my license plate anytime, if your innocent you shouldn’t care.
Exactly Tim.
While it is only fair that scoff-laws are towed, so not make the assumption that there will be no mistakes. Unless you believe government never makes them.
To protect the innocent any owner whose vehicle is wrongly towed should be reimbursed for ALL costs, including substitute transportation, lodging, etc. In addition the city should have to pay $1000 above the costs. That should be sufficient incentive for the city and its parking enforcers to be sure and get it right.
Follow the rule period when I go to Hartford I pay the parking. What is the problem. If you don’t want to pay for parking in Hartford take the Majic Bus