Chicago Drivers Caught in Handicapped Parking Abuse Sting

Illinois recently became the latest state to take stricter measures to curb the practice of handicapped placard abuse by raising the handicapped parking violation fine from $100 to $500, adding a 30-day driving suspension, and confiscating the handicapped placard until the violator shows up in court to pay fines and prove the placard need. The Secretary of State followed this law change with an impromptu police sting in Chicago’s River North area near the elite East Bank Club to catch drivers parking illegally with handicap placards.

The East Bank Club area is a favorite workout spot for politicians and local celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, and the sting operation stemmed from complaints of drivers in the River North area using handicapped placards to break the law. MyFox Chicago broke the news story and showed video footage of some of the offenders being caught.

One man was caught using his 87-year-old mother’s placard to park in a handicapped space. His mother was not with him, but in an attempt to dodge being cited, he told police that he would be taking his mother out to breakfast after his workout.

A female driver parked her Mercedes in a handicapped spot right next to the police car. It turned out to be an act of defiance on her part. She told the news reporter that she parked illegally to “stick it to the man,” adding that she was upset about increased parking meter rates and decided to cheat.

Another woman claimed to simply have had a case of first-timer’s bad luck. She told the ticketing officer that she never used a placard unless her handicapped father was with her, but on this particular morning she was running late–so late she couldn’t spare two minutes to put a couple of dollars of change into the paybox right beside her car. Now she will have shell out $500 for a ticket, make an appearance in court, and lose her driving privileges for 30 days.

Area residents say that handicapped placard abuse is a serious problem, and chances are high that more stings will be conducted until Chicago drivers finally get the message and follow the law. The irony is that the offenders were all members of one of Chicago’s swankiest health clubs with affluent clientele, who undoubtedly pay hefty membership fees, yet none of the offenders wanted to put out the extra cash for a parking meter nor the extra steps to park a short distance away from the building in legal parking spaces. Hopefully, this lesson is a big enough inconvenience that they will think twice before illegally using a handicapped placard merely for their own convenience again.

Check out the video below of the handicapped placard abusers caught in the act:

Sources:

http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-chicago/handicapped-placard-cheaters-caught-sting

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/east-bank-club-health-fitness-patrons-disabled-placards-handicap-parking-20110926