SEATTLE - The Seattle Police Department had high hopes last summer when it rolled out "electronic chalking"-- aimed at catching parking violators and catching repeat offenders who owe the city for multiple unpaid fines.
"I get an audible alert, tells me it captured a plate," explained Parking Enforcement Supervisor George Murray, who took KING 5 for an exclusive ride-a-long last July.
The city had just launched two sedans, equipped with external cameras, to prow city streets, snapping pictures of license plates as they passed by parked cars.
"What we're doing is we're actually reading the plates with the reader and electronically chalking them," Murray said.
The "License Plate Reader (LPR)" sends information directly to an onboard computer. A second pass 2 hours later automatically reveals who’s exceeded the time limit, earning them a $35 ticket.
"Basically, the license plate reader allows us to cover a broader area. It’s quicker and more efficient," Murray said.
At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.
Seattle took its lead from Sacramento, which started using the camera technology six years ago with instant success. There, parking revenue quadrupled in one year, as more tickets were handed out and as cars belonging to scofflaws were booted and held hostage until fines were paid.
So why isn’t the same thing happening here?
Seattle went with the same vendor, but a new fancier system that would not only issue tickets but gather intelligence for the Seattle Department of Transportation.
"Statistical data as to the streets," Murray said. "Are they dense, are they not dense, do we need regulation here, do we not need regulation here?" he said.
But the computers have been plagued with technology glitches resulting in long periods of down time.
"E-chalking" is supposed to be four times faster than chalking by hand. But officers working in those units have actually written fewer tickets -- about a third less -- than before.
And there’s another problem that has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with policy. While the cameras are identifying "scofflaws" parked all over the city, parking enforcement can’t take any action unless the vehicles are parked illegally and have at least four unpaid citations.
Motorists who struggle to find street parking in Seattle and who pay their fines, say that’s unfair.
"Boot 'em, haul 'em away," said Kipp Hansen, who lives in Sammamish, but commutes to Seattle for work. "There should be consequence for that."
Seattle is owed $52 million in unpaid fines going back a decade -- money that, if collected, could go a long way toward wiping out next year’s $56 million budget deficit.
Because it's a pilot program, Seattle spent less than $200,000 on the high-tech cameras. The city’s biggest investment has been time.
SPD was ready to scrap the whole project earlier this month, but has given the vendor until September before making a final decision.
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