2008 Woodie Awards
Ticket Bonanza on Campus
Campus police are issuing a larger number of tickets to students than ever.
Marilyn Minton
Issue date: 11/24/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Campus police have issued 6,872 tickets in the past 10 months totaling more than $200,000 in potential revenue.
According to the sheriff's department, the average ticket is $30 and the bulk of these - approximately 98 percent were issued for cars without parking permits, or for those with expired permits."
"I bought my parking permit right away," said fire technology major Michael Van-Kirk. "But there were times when I walked away from my car and forgot to display my permit. When I went back five minutes later, there was a ticket already on my windshield."
The major portion of these citations, 4,307 to be exact, was issued only in the last four months; 897 in July; 202 in August; 2,169 in September and 1,039 in October.
For the same 10-month time period in 2003, the sheriff's department issued a total of 4,532 citations with a dollar value of $135,960, showing a 33 percent increase in activity this year.
"I was told that parking was free for the first week of school, but I got a ticket anyway," said sociology major Virginia Ross. "I went to the sheriff's office to explain and they removed the ticket."
According to Vice President of Administration Tom Jacobsmeyer, the money is being used for college improvements.
"The funds were used for the repair of potholes and drainage, as well as maintenance and clean-up in the parking lot areas,"said Jacobsmeyer.
"The East Los Angeles campus dispenses the largest amount of parking citations because they are a much larger campus," Jacobsmeyer said. "Due to the size of our campus, the amount of citations given out here iswithin range."
Students have suggested that some of this money should be spent on providing better lighting in the parking areas for night students and opening up more parking spaces to facilitate easier access to classrooms, saving students time. One Valley alumnus even joked about going into competition by opening his own parking lot.
Sherrif's Security Officer Roger Tompkins recommended that, for students to avoid ticketing problems, "make sure your permits are clearly displayed and up to date; be sure to park in the appropriate parking lots, and also keep your valuables out of sight and secured to avoid theft."
According to the sheriff's department, the average ticket is $30 and the bulk of these - approximately 98 percent were issued for cars without parking permits, or for those with expired permits."
"I bought my parking permit right away," said fire technology major Michael Van-Kirk. "But there were times when I walked away from my car and forgot to display my permit. When I went back five minutes later, there was a ticket already on my windshield."
The major portion of these citations, 4,307 to be exact, was issued only in the last four months; 897 in July; 202 in August; 2,169 in September and 1,039 in October.
For the same 10-month time period in 2003, the sheriff's department issued a total of 4,532 citations with a dollar value of $135,960, showing a 33 percent increase in activity this year.
"I was told that parking was free for the first week of school, but I got a ticket anyway," said sociology major Virginia Ross. "I went to the sheriff's office to explain and they removed the ticket."
According to Vice President of Administration Tom Jacobsmeyer, the money is being used for college improvements.
"The funds were used for the repair of potholes and drainage, as well as maintenance and clean-up in the parking lot areas,"said Jacobsmeyer.
"The East Los Angeles campus dispenses the largest amount of parking citations because they are a much larger campus," Jacobsmeyer said. "Due to the size of our campus, the amount of citations given out here iswithin range."
Students have suggested that some of this money should be spent on providing better lighting in the parking areas for night students and opening up more parking spaces to facilitate easier access to classrooms, saving students time. One Valley alumnus even joked about going into competition by opening his own parking lot.
Sherrif's Security Officer Roger Tompkins recommended that, for students to avoid ticketing problems, "make sure your permits are clearly displayed and up to date; be sure to park in the appropriate parking lots, and also keep your valuables out of sight and secured to avoid theft."
