If you’re like hundreds — or perhaps over 1,000 area residents — you may have received an unpleasant surprise in your mailbox over the last two to three weeks.
Over the past two to three weeks, Emporia Police have mailed out around 2,500 tickets — some dating all the way back to 2010. On KVOE’s Morning Show on Monday, Police Sgt. Lisa Sage explained new ticketing software lets the city bill the long- outstanding tickets.
As you can imagine, a lot of residents have questioned the fines — and some have questioned the statute of limitations for their fines. Sage says Emporia Police is well within its rights to send the tickets for billing, even if they were generated 10 years ago.
In addition, people have said they have paid the fines in question. Sage says that may be true in many cases, but the payments may have come in after a 10-day deadline — meaning the fines doubled from $5 to $10. Sage says the city could continue doubling the amounts every 10 days but has chosen not to do so.
Sage also commented on the city’s longstanding practice of chalking tires to determine just how long vehicles are parked at different stalls. A US District Court ruling had mentioned such practices were illegal in different states like Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee, but Sage says chalking tires is legal in Kansas after research by the City Attorney’s Office.
For more information or to pay tickets, either stop by the Police Department records desk inside the Civic Building or call 343-4200.
