06:16 PM CDT on Saturday, June 24, 2006

By Carol Cavazos, WFAA-TV

WFAA

The city is owed $40 million in parking tickets

DALLAS - Parking ticket scofflaws owe the City of Dallas a huge chunk of change: some $40 million worth.

Strapped for cash, the city is ready to collect.

So, it has now given authority to the Dallas City Marshal's Office to impound vehicles belonging to anyone who has unpaid parking tickets.

This is what usually brings a parking ticket violator out when repeated knocks from Dallas city marshals do not.

Officers say Edward Lecamu owes $330 in unpaid parking fines.

He had no idea the city would try and collect this way.

"I'm going to have to pay about $500 to get my car out of the pound... it's not fair," he said.

Officers hope other violators will get the message.

"When you make us come for you, well then it's the full boat when we get here," said city marshal, Joseph Polino.

With three or more unpaid parking tickets, your car will be towed with any outstanding warrants you'll be towed to jail.

Sometimes officers have found other things, when collecting parking fines.

One man they arrested was in possession of problem crystal meth.

This is the first time Dallas city marshals have ever been involved tracking down parking ticket scofflaws.

Caught in their first net: a former Dallas Morning News columnist. She was arrested for an unpaid traffic ticket; but it was $1,000 in unpaid parking fines that brought her to their attention.

With more than $40 million owed in unpaid parking fines, the city hopes to recover whatever it can.