CHICAGO (CBS)– Municipal non-emergency vehicles from various city agencies, are parking illegally in tow zones all over the central business district.

But how do they get away with it? CBS 2’s Mike Parker reports.

You’ve seen them, and we’ve seen them too. They’re not towed, it seems, not even ticketed.

Mike Brockaway, the self-proclaimed “parking geek” runs the website, theexpiredmeter.com. Brockaway says there’s a fairly simple explanation for the problem.

“Enforcement looks the other way. They have a code of basically letting municipal vehicles go when they’re in violation. Police do it, Department of Revenue does it, the parking enforcement aides.”

Today, we found this city department of transportation vehicle, parked in a tow zone at the corner of Wells and Washington in the loop. After waiting for the driver for more than an hour, he showed up to drive away.

When CBS2 tried to speak to the driver, the driver walked away instead.

Although it’s illegal, even for city vehicles, to park in no parking zones, Brockaway said, “I think this is kind of inherent in the DNA of Chicago.”

For drivers without connections, getting nailed while parking in a tow zone usually brings a ticket, a tow to an impound lot, and fines and fees of some two hundred dollars.