Bogus Parking Ticket

[Minpin]

What do you guys think about this?

I got a parking ticket last night for Noncompliant Plates.

This is the law in the city of chicago book:

" (d)     Every registration plate shall at all times be securely fastened in a horizontal position to the vehicle for which it is issued so as to prevent the plate from swinging and at a height of not less than 12 inches from the ground, measuring from the bottom of such plate, in a place and position to be clearly visible and shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible.  No registration plate shall be covered by any tinted or colored screen.  It is illegal to park a vehicle on any roadway if the registration plate or other registration material fails to comply with this subsection.  Any person who violates this subsection shall be fined the amount set forth in Section 9-100-020 for each offense."

I have a license plate frame that says South Carolina Alumni on it, which is my guess why I got it. Foreign materials or some shit. Thing is 90% of cars have one of these on it either from the dealer or other school etc. No one else on my street got one, and I counted 17 cars with a plate same as mine.

Complete bullshit, and really infuriating. I'm gonna call tomorrow and contest it just to see what the judge says. Also it looks like if you can prove the violation is corrected by the time of hearing they will drop it.

Really pisses me off I have to waste my time with it, as it's a $60 dollar ticket. I can understand if that's against the law, no matter how silly or mundane it is; but to get singled out like that? 

[Catman]

Looks like my anonymous tip worked out.

[Secret Chimp]

This belongs in Driving & the Law, brah

I got a parking ticket in Per's Mustang when I was about to take it down to the port. I have it on my refrigerator as a souvenir.

[Minpin]

This belongs in Driving & the Law, brah

I got a parking ticket in Per's Mustang when I was about to take it down to the port. I have it on my refrigerator as a souvenir.

You're right. I'll let the modz move it

[Soup DeVille]

What do you guys think about this?

I got a parking ticket last night for Noncompliant Plates.

This is the law in the city of chicago book:

" (d)     Every registration plate shall at all times be securely fastened in a horizontal position to the vehicle for which it is issued so as to prevent the plate from swinging and at a height of not less than 12 inches from the ground, measuring from the bottom of such plate, in a place and position to be clearly visible and shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible.  No registration plate shall be covered by any tinted or colored screen.  It is illegal to park a vehicle on any roadway if the registration plate or other registration material fails to comply with this subsection.  Any person who violates this subsection shall be fined the amount set forth in Section 9-100-020 for each offense."

I have a license plate frame that says South Carolina Alumni on it, which is my guess why I got it. Foreign materials or some shit. Thing is 90% of cars have one of these on it either from the dealer or other school etc. No one else on my street got one, and I counted 17 cars with a plate same as mine.

Complete bullshit, and really infuriating. I'm gonna call tomorrow and contest it just to see what the judge says. Also it looks like if you can prove the violation is corrected by the time of hearing they will drop it.

Really pisses me off I have to waste my time with it, as it's a $60 dollar ticket. I can understand if that's against the law, no matter how silly or mundane it is; but to get singled out like that? 

Unless your frame is a "tinted or colored screen," I don't see how they can fault you.

Who writes these tickets in the area?  Is it a contractor- because those fuckers will try to get away with almost anything.

[Minpin]

Unless your frame is a "tinted or colored screen," I don't see how they can fault you.

Who writes these tickets in the area?  Is it a contractor- because those fuckers will try to get away with almost anything.

I think it could be interpreted that "shall be maintained free from foreign materials and in a condition to be clearly legible" includes license plate frames. Just a shitty thing to get a ticket for. It's not like it was blocking any part of my plate number.

Anyways, I'm gonna go ahead and fight it. Looks like I can get it taken away if I prove to have 'fixed' it. Fuck giving them 60 dollars for that, not like I was in front of a goddamn fire hydrant or something.

[mzziaz]

This belongs in Driving & the Law, brah

I got a parking ticket in Per's Mustang when I was about to take it down to the port. I have it on my refrigerator as a souvenir.

Great.

I envision fun rectal times the next time I try to enter US territory.

[MX793]

I've definitely heard of people getting tickets for license plate frames where the frame was deemed to be an "obstruction" of the license plate.  In some states, you technically cannot have any portion of the plate covered by anything.

[Morris Minor]

This is nothing to do with your plate and everything to do with gathering revenue for the City of Chicago.

If you are a liberal you will be grateful that you have an opportunity to hand over your money to somebody who knows what's best for you.
If you are a conservative you will be outraged that somebody thinks you're stupid enough to think that somebody else knows what's best for you.

[Soup DeVille]

Great.

I envision fun rectal times the next time I try to enter US territory.

Don't do it through Washington and you'll be fine.

[TurboDan]

I've heard of things like this being used for PC to stop someone, but I've never heard of someone getting a ticket for it while parked.

In New Jersey, it is occasionally enforced during semi-legal "checkpoints" they set up to catch minor violations. It is illegal in New Jersey for police departments to do checkpoints for anything other than DWI, however there is a loophole which allows the state Motor Vehicle Commission (since they're an administrative agency, not a law enforcement agency) to hire local police officers to do a checkpoint. With the MVC acting as the "middle man," they claim they can do checkpoints for general violations. During these checkpoints, which are purely revenue-generating operations, they give out tickets for everything including things like the "J" in "Jersey" being touched by the bottom of a license plate frame. (And in true Jersey tradition, if you have a PBA card, you will not get a ticket for anything.)

A lot of towns, including mine, refuse to participate in the state program because it's so sleazy. It's generally the towns that already have over-the-top traffic enforcement that participate. Both the state and the towns get a piece of the ticket pie.

[giant_mtb]

Sounds like someone doesn't like South Carolina too much...

I don't like license plate frames of any sort.

[S204STi]

Looks like my anonymous tip worked out.

[bing_oh]

So, you're invoking the classic "It's not fair!" defense. Basically, everybody else is guilty too and you're just being picked on for [insert reason here]. That doesn't exactly prove your innocence.

[Tave]

So, you're invoking the classic "It's not fair!" defense. Basically, everybody else is guilty too and you're just being picked on for [insert reason here]. That doesn't exactly prove your innocence.

Meh, this is a waste of his time and taxpayer resources if the city doesn't otherwise enforce it. It's a little unclear whether the frame even amounts to a violation.

[Raza]

So, you're invoking the classic "It's not fair!" defense. Basically, everybody else is guilty too and you're just being picked on for [insert reason here]. That doesn't exactly prove your innocence.

Bing's right.  The law is the law, no matter how stupid or inconsequential it is or how randomly it's enforced.  You're a criminal and you should turn yourself into the proper authorities.  Along with the people who take the tags off their mattresses, you're basically the scum of the earth. 

[Soup DeVille]

Bing's right.  The law is the law, no matter how stupid or inconsequential it is or how randomly it's enforced.  You're a criminal and you should turn yourself into the proper authorities.  Along with the people who take the tags off their mattresses, you're basically the scum of the earth. 

You know, it's actually not illegal to take that tag off, right?

[Raza]

You know, it's actually not illegal to take that tag off, right?

It's still morally reprehensible.

[bing_oh]

Meh, this is a waste of his time and taxpayer resources if the city doesn't otherwise enforce it. It's a little unclear whether the frame even amounts to a violation.

As a parking violation, it's pretty petty. As a traffic violation, there's actually a legitimate reason behind it. I can't count the number of times I've been behind an out of state license plate with a frame around it that blocks the state name. Sure, I can read the tag number, but it's useless unless I know what state the plate is from...it can't be run without that information and states have so many different specialty tags it's difficult for me to even recognize all the plates from the states around me, let alone ones from the other side of the country.

[Minpin]

Well, like I said originally my problem isn't the law it's the selective enforcement of it. If its against the law, fine, but don't so file me out among the dozens of others for it.

[bing_oh]

Well, like I said originally my problem isn't the law it's the selective enforcement of it. If its against the law, fine, but don't so file me out among the dozens of others for it.

Legally, that you think there was selective enforcement doesn't really help your case. The question in that is simple...did you or didn't you violate that particular law. You could argue selective enforcement in lots of things. If that worked, pretty much every traffic (not to mention criminal) violation you can imagine would get thrown out because the police didn't catch and/or cite everybody who violated it.

[giant_mtb]

I agree with Bing. It sucks, and it's unfortunate that you were "singled out," but there was either something else at play or you just got (un)lucky. It happens. Fight the ticket if you want to...at least to see if there was some other reason you got the ticket.

[Minpin]

It's all about money. And they won't be getting mine. They will get my time and ire, however. It's still not even clear I broke the law. If true how does every car dealership in IL escape the liability of their frames?

[giant_mtb]

I'd almost rather give them the money than my time. lol

[Minpin]

What, and let them get away with this highway robbery?

[CJ]

It's $60. Pay it, take the thing off, call it a day. I have my Park Place dealer tag on, but it doesn't cover any of the information (including the Oklahoma title) on the tag.

[Minpin]

Neither did mine. 

And you're right, it's $60.

[Raza]

Neither did mine. 

And you're right, it's $60.

You should hire a lawyer to fight it. 

[Minpin]

You should hire a lawyer to fight it.

Ill just claim racism, throw my hands up in the air and yell..."IF THE GLOVE DON'T FIT.....

[Northlands]

There's no yearly or bi-annual sticker that the plate cover is obstructing, is there?

  We have insurance stickers we have to apply on the bottom of our plates in this province that most generic lic. plate covers don't account for. People here get ticketed for it all of the time. The stickers have to be able to be seen from a vehicle length behind your car ( local laws ). If they are covered, you can be pulled over and either warned or given a ticket.

Just wondering if that was the case at all?