Getting booted: Las Vegas about to follow UNLV’s lead in immobilizing cars of parking ticket scofflaws

Erica Johnson

Wednesday, July 18, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

LaTasha Joshua of Las Vegas still owes $180 in parking tickets despite a $70 payment a few days ago.

She was told by city of Las Vegas parking enforcement officials that she will be unable to register her car until she pays the balance in full.

Registration is now the only leverage that parking officials have when it comes to collecting ticket fines. But three months from now, city officials say, consequences for serious scofflaws -- those who have five or more tickets or who owe $500 or more in fines -- may be much more severe.

The city is considering a plan to "boot" the vehicles of drivers who refuse to settle their large parking ticket debts. Many of the country's larger cities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, use the boot.

By way of a clamp on the rim of the car, which is secured with a steel padlock, the boot prevents a tire from rotating.

The city of Las Vegas budgeted $9,500 for about a dozen boots. Officials estimate the program will bring in about $700,000 annually.

Joshua said she thinks the boot is too harsh.

"Everyone should be responsible and pay their parking tickets," Joshua said. "But I think (the city) needs to find another solution. People may have outstanding tickets, but they still need their car to go to work."

The idea to implement the program in Las Vegas came last year after city officials reviewed a parking enforcement program audit and discovered Las Vegans had accrued more than $8 million in outstanding parking citations over a five-year period.

Mayor Oscar Goodman, who voted for the measure, said the boot is a reasonable consequence for people with unpaid parking tickets.

The mayor says taxpayers deserve to have that money collected.

Sgt. Merle Jenson of the city's Parking Enforcement department said the program should be under way in about three months.

A ticket for an expired meter is $20. Jenson said she knows of one Las Vegas resident who owes $15,000 in parking fines.

If tickets issued through the city of Las Vegas are not paid within 30 days, the city transfers the information to the Department of Motor Vehicles and the vehicle is not allowed to be registered until the fines are paid.

Drivers who want to contest a ticket can do so through the mail or in person.

Lt. Jeff Dufrene, of the city's Department of Detention and Enforcement, said he hopes the boot will deter people from amassing huge debts.

"We're hoping to get people to come in and pay up," Dufrene said. "We're looking for the real scofflaws here. Unfortunately, we do have some people who think the law doesn't apply to them."

In planning the program, officials examined booting programs in other cities, including San Francisco and Phoenix.

Some cities, such as Frankfort, Ky., operate similar programs that work with child-support enforcement agencies. In those locales, the vehicles of anyone who owes more than six months or $1,000 dollars in back child support and has ignored warrants or subpoenas could have his or her vehicle booted.

Jenson said the booting must be done "without errors or mistakes." She said parking officials will be trained to double-check records.

The city is not approaching the program in an aggressive fashion, Jenson said, noting that drivers will have numerous opportunities to pay fines before their car is booted. They will receive notices in the mail as they approach the limit, in addition to a final warning.

To get the boot removed, drivers must pay balances in full or sign up for a payment plan. The boot is removed about two hours thereafter, Jenson said.

Drivers can make payments at the Municipal Parking Program, 314 Las Vegas Blvd. Tickets can also be paid online at the city of Las Vegas' website: ci.las-vegas.nv.us.com.

UNLV boots

Though the booting program may be new to Las Vegas, UNLV is one of hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide that places boots on vehicles owned by parking offenders.

After three tickets -- which are $15 apiece -- UNLV parking officials place an orange warning sticker in the window of the vehicle. After a student has amassed $50 in fines a hold is placed on his student account, which prevents him from registering for classes or obtaining transcripts.

The car is booted only after these warnings have been ignored, said Thomas Hudak, parking services manager at UNLV's Department of Public Safety.

"Once people know there is a consequence to their action they start parking legally," he said. "When people abuse the system, they make it harder for people who are doing the right thing."

Diane Prothero is one Las Vegan who is trying to do the right thing. Prothero, who recently paid a $20 ticket for parking at an expired meter, said the booting program is a great way to deter drivers from ignoring outstanding tickets.

"I think it's fair," she said. "If someone owes that much, they deserve it. If I knew my car would be booted, I would pay it."