The Brookline Police towed a vehicle with more than $1,000 of outstanding parking tickets. After impounding the vehicle, police found the owner also had two additional vehicles wanted for outstanding parking tickets. Do you think this is little ridiculous? However ridiculous it is, outstanding tickets have increased as delinquent drivers avoid paying their parking tickets. The Brookline police department has found a new way to catch these not-so-sneaky drivers with the help of new technology purchased this last year.

A new system created by Velosum Inc., a Utah based company, have allowed officers to write and document tickets in a quick manner with additional data. A few features the new technology include writing tickets with a special ballpoint pen uploading the officers handwriting to the town website and the use of a cell phone feature to take digital photos of a vehicles location, plates, expired meter, and other helpful images. After the implementation of these devices it has become much more difficult for drivers to protest a parking ticket.

“It’s pretty hard to tell someone you’re not parked in front of a hydrant when there’s a picture.”

-Capt. Michael Gropman

The new technology also gives officers the ability to upload parking tickets to the department’s website in less than a minute. This is key for officers as they will be able to compare the ticketed vehicle with a tow list and request a tow truck if necessary. A hope of the new technology is to gain an advantage over out of state drivers. Overrun by out-of-state college students the town has difficulties collecting owed tickets. Brookline has averaged a collection of only 65% of parking fines on out-of-state owned vehicles as they collected 90% from in-state drivers according to a study by Efficiency Initiative Committee in 2009. Massachusetts residents with outstanding parking tickets may be denied a license or registration renewal, however the out of state students do not face the same fate.

Collections on parking fines are expected to increase, however subsequently the number of parking violations have recently decreased. Cracking down on drivers racking up thousands of dollars in parking tickets is making all the  difference.