Parking Ticket After Blizzard Tossed For Disabled Woman

May 13, 2011 10:11 AM

(CBS File Photo)

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Heard on WBBM 780, Local, News

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MARKHAM, Ill. (WBBM/CBS) – Police in the tiny southern suburb of Calumet Park have a bad taste in their mouths after a judge tossed out a parking ticket for a Chicago woman Thursday.

As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Bernie Tafoya reports, Beverly neighborhood resident Susan Willis has been fighting a parking ticket she received in a parking lot in Calumet Park three after the great blizzard this past February.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Bernie Tafoya reports

Wills has osteoarthritis, walks with a cane, and has a handicap placard for her van.

She had gone to the Ultra Foods store at 127th Street and Ashland Avenue in Calumet Park late in the afternoon that Saturday to pick up some staples.

She said about one-fourth of the parking lot was covered in high piles of snow. Lines designating available spots were hard to distinguish, she added. Wills couldn’t find an open handicapped space.

So she parked her van next to a handicapped space, on the striped area. When she came out of the store, there was a $100 ticket waiting for her.

But the SouthtownStar reported that on Thursday, a judge threw out the ticket on a technicality – a police officer hadn’t properly filled it out.

Wills says she won one for the little guy, but Calumet Park police Chief Mark Davis said she was still in the wrong and got away with it, the newspaper reported.

Parking Ticket After Blizzard Tossed For Disabled Woman

Nelson Muntz

Haha

jAY

OH BIG DEAL ! THIS IDIOT CHIEF ACTS LIKE THAT MEASLEY $100 WAS GOING TO HELP THE POLICE COFFERS . GET RID OF HIM & FINE HIM $100 FOR BEING A JERK ! I DONT SUPPOSE HE EVER “GOT AWAY WITH ANYTHING”

cbailey

If you know how small Calumet Park is, you would realize that $100 is a lot of money. Calumet Park ain’t as big as Mayberry.

Mike

oh she really “got away with it”…MORON POLICE CHIEF!
what happened to the good old days where we treated people like people, and used common sense…or gee maybe even changed our position on something once we got all the facts….anyway the bottom line is she didn’t get away with anything…the Police Officer failed to do their Job…FILL OUT THE TICKET PROPERLY – there should be a fine for that, for wasting this lady’s time.
ps -and even if they did fill it properly it STILL SHOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT! COMMON SENSE, COMMON DECENCY…

iris

Thank you!!
KE

You are absolutely WRONG!!!!
She knew she was in the wrong and DESERVED the ticket!

The problem with her parking in the striped area next to the other car means that she more than likely prohibited the person(s) who vacated the car she abutted from getting into THEIR car. Tell me how you would feel if you rolled your handicapped grandfather in his wheelchair out to the car IN THE heavy snow, with all your groceries — only to find that you can not get him into the car???

or say that you are a single individual, jsut had backlsurgery, used canes and the shopping cart to get you to your car, only to find that you can not opent he drivers door enough to even get your foot ithrough the dorr to try to squeeze in.
Happened to my buddy — he was pi**ed!!

My truth

What is wrong with today’s officals that assume that they are always right and every one else is the problem.

Kris

Why didn’t this old geezer just pay her ticket like every other person?
Andrew Petersen

Whats the problem with today’s Citizens where they can’t accept that they might be in the wrong?

Feroz Ahmed

I had a ticket from the Streamwood Police during the Blizzard as my car was stuck in the snow, on some street in Streamwood. When I approached them, they took my request and sent me a note, couple weeks later, stating that I can disregard the ticket. . There are some good Police officers and Police departments. I understand they are few but they are out there. Thanks Streamwood Police Department for being practical and considerate.
Feroz
LMW

Good for the Judge!! claer the streets properly (blizzard is no excuse for not clearing the handicapp spaces) and use your common snese. As the mom of a police officer all they had to do was run the plate and see the lic number the placard is issued to. would have stopped the whole problem.And since when do the police ever ticket someone in a store lot? Look at all the people in the fire lanes at store. The police chief needs to practivce common sense and common decency!!
Got away with it?

She got away with it? I would like to know how many cops, or immediate family members for cops have paied ANY tickets in the last 5 years. I would bet anything that it is far less than the national average, but I bet the rate they get into accidents is about the same. Point: they are not safer drivers, they just get away with their “crimes”… who gets away with what Chief Davis?
jackwm2

Hey Chief Davis, what happened to the concept that the Police were “To Serve And Protect”?
Disabled Driver !

Here is another Super Cop Picking on a Disabled Driver, He sounds like the Kind of Guy that would use his Pepper Spray on a 90 Year old using a Walker !

Calumet Park Should Remove this Police Chief Because He abused a Disabled Driver with his Police Powers !

I Would do the same thing that woman did if I could not see the Lines on the Ground Because of Snow !
Skip M. Plonka

She had gone to the Ultra Foods store at 127th Street and Ashland Avenue in Calumet Park late in the afternoon that Saturday to pick up some staples.

Maybe she should have gone to Office Max :-)

Scott

Who the hell is going to go out in a blizzard for staples? She should have just used a paper clip or tape. She should have paid her ticket like everyone else. She really got over, probably because she is old.

Beverly

Cal Park officials makes up their own rules as they go along, leaving their common sense at the door. Homeowners are cited for home repairs and CP sells the fines to collection agencies before the court date. Also, last year a woman was issued a fine for a pool when there’s no ordinance that requires a homeowner with an above ground pool to have a permit. When the lady went to the village hall to get a pool permit, there were no forms for a pool permit since there was no ordinance on the books that one was needed. Whatta crazy town!
Joe Rellik

She paked in a prohibited location. End of story. Most traffic offenses are strict liiability and intent is irrelevant. Traffic laws are enforced equally across the board and she has a duty, despite her physical handicapp, to safely and legally operate her motor vehicle. If we let her get away with it, (slippery slope) where do you draw the line? The copperrs are correct…it would be too arbitrary to give her a break.
Brenda

I myself is handicap and when you get your placecard it states you are not allowed to park in the lined spaces next to the parking spaces. reason so people that need the extra space to get in and out can so. This woman was wrong and im ticked that the judge threw it out. She herself said there wasent an open handicap parking spot meaning others where in the store she should of either waited for one to open or came back later or parked in a normal spot. There is no reason to park in those spots and now stores are to solve this problem making them lined areas smaller and smaller and now its harder for me to get my equipment out that i need due to people like this woman so im very upset she got out of it. She should of lost her privlages which it does state in the paperwork you get when you receive your placecard that you can lose it if you improperly use them. which is what she did.
Gabe

It’s all about you huh ? You must be really handicapped to go out on a day like that. IDIOTS YOUR A MINORITY WHY SHOULD I BE BOTHERED BECAUSE OF YOUR MISERY. WHAT YOUR MISERABLE ? LET’S MAKE THE NORMIES SUFFER TOO.