Syracuse city officials are looking to transfer the responsibility of booting cars to a private company to more efficiently collect more than $6 million in unpaid parking tickets.

A boot, or wheel clamp, can be placed on the wheel of a car to prevent it from moving when a driver has three outstanding tickets for more than 90 days, according to the city of Syracuse website.

Paylock, the New Jersey-based company that would assume responsibility for the booting, is already providing the Syracuse Police Department with booting equipment, according to a Feb. 27 News Channel 9 article.

City officials have asked Paylock to provide a proposal for providing services, said Matt Silverman, executive vice president at Paylock. It is an opportunity to provide a more consistent level of control than the police department can offer, he said.

Syracuse police officers have been responsible for booting cars since 2008, following legislation that was passed in 2007, said John White, supervisor at the Parking Violations Bureau, in an email. The reason for the potential switch is to enable the police department to better attend to its other responsibilities.

The amount of boots placed on cars in a particular neighborhood is dependent on the degree of compliance with parking laws in a particular area. The boot can be removed after payment for the ticket has been made, White said, then the Paylock call center will give the driver a code to release the boot.

Tickets can be paid in two ways, White said. A driver can pay with cash at the Parking Violations Bureau in City Hall, in which case a member of the boot crew will be dispatched to remove the boot. Otherwise, a driver can call the toll-free number on the boot notice left on the vehicle to pay using a credit card, debit card or electronic funds transfer.

If the boot is not returned to City Hall or the Public Safety Building within 24 hours, a fee of $25 will be charged per day, according to the city’s website. This can total up to $500.

Katie Gray, a senior history major, said she has only had two parking tickets in two years and has never had her car booted.

“I really don’t think I paid my parking tickets,” Gray said, adding she would probably pay under the threat of the new booting process.

If individuals are wondering about how much they may owe in parking tickets, they can find their outstanding tickets by checking their license plate number on the city of Syracuse’s website, White said.

Syracuse officials will meet on March 13 to discuss the new booting approach, according to the News Channel 9 article.

Published on March 6, 2013 at 11:46 pm

Contact Caroline: cstrange@syr.edu