THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
Township Residents Fighting Improper Tickets
By TROY BRUZEWSKI
Journal Reporter
Thomas Converse is answering the call of Elk Grove Township government by taking a stand against what he considers improper ticketing by Cook County Sheriffs police.
Converse is one of several township residents who have notified the township of having been ticketed for parking in an unincorporated area without a Cook County sticker. This, they say, occurs despite parking vehicles that are not registered in the county.
After the filing of many of these reports, township Supervisor Nanci Vanderweel and Clerk Mike Sweeney urged residents to bring suspected unlawful tickets to their office on Arlington Hts. Road in an effort to find a way to fight the citations.
"Fortunately, this gentleman is taking the advice and fighting these tickets," Sweeney said.
Converse received three tickets this year on his company vehicle which he sometimes drives home to Elk Grove Township. The vehicle, a work van, is registered in downstate Coal City.
Each ticket is for $105 for parking in an unincorporated area without a county sticker. However, Sweeney and Vanderweel said a sticker is not necessary for such a vehicle because it isn't registered in Cook County.
Converse said he suspected the police made an error and his ticket would be rescinded after it was realized the vehicle wasn't registered in Cook County. Then came another ticket. "I figured they'd see it's not from Cook County and the ticket would be forgotten," he said. "I'm absolutely going to fight the tickets."
Converse said after the second ticket, he called the sheriff's office to get further information. He claims a representative told him to disregard the tickets and that once it was realized the vehicle was registered outside of the county they would be voided.
Even if the tickets are eventually voided, the question asked by Vanderweel and Sweeney is, "why are the tickets being issued in the first place?" They claim if the police were doing thorough work, they would realize the point of registration of the vehicle at the point of ticketing and not write them at all. Township officials are concerned about the financial ramifications of its residents and the negative effects for potential visitors, which Converse can attest to. He said both his sister and cousin received citations while visiting him despite neither living in Cook County.
"My sister doesn't want to visit and I don't really blame her," he said. "And my cousin got a ticket for parking his semi-truck at his home for lunch."
"For the kind of money and grief this is causing me, I'm just taking the van back," he said. "It's kind of senseless to get tickets for this."
Several telephone calls have been made by Journal to the Cook County Sheriff's office to obtain information on this issue. A representative said no comment could be issued on whether ticketing vehicles not registered in Cook County is lawful.