In the last several weeks Oak Park police and parking enforcement personnel have been ticketing excessively for minor, barely signposted parking violations, with which they have previously been unconcerned. It is disconcerting to walk down my street and see angry orange envelopes in the windshields of neighbors and visitors alike even though there has been no change in the rules nor increase in inconvenience caused by the lenient way parking was monitored before.
I understand the need for ticketing as a tool of enforcement with regard to parking violations in the highly trafficked areas of town. Quiet side streets, occasionally made busy by school traffic, simply do not qualify. It seems prudent to posit that these new and excessive measures have something to do with proving the police department’s value in light of upcoming budget proposals which will likely reduce funding for the new police station. The news of these proposals coincided with a notable increase in citations in areas which had previously seen very few.
The purpose, veracity, and efficacy of the police is a topic of intense and important debate. Certainly, though, their monetary contribution to the village budget should be irrelevant to the discussion of their needs in our community. I would hope the department could find a way to demonstrate their utility beyond their ability to charge people to park in front of their own homes or, perhaps worse, to fine friends or workers for their visits.
Ash Wettstein
Oak Park