Last Updated on October 23, 2017 by Lawrence Berezin
The boot is being used to collect overdue parking fines
The NYC DOF initiated a pilot program in parts of Brooklyn to “motivate” scofflaws with $350 in outstanding parking tickets in judgment to pay up. Your reward is the release code that unlocks the sixteen-pound yellow thing choking the wheel of your chariot.
“This is one more effort by the mayor to use technology to make the lives of New Yorkers easier and government in New York more efficient,” Department of Finance Commissioner David Frankel said [via Daily News].
How do I release the monster?
You call a toll-free number and pay your outstanding parking ticket judgment debt in full by credit/debit card, electronic check, or with a gift card [if it has a credit card logo]. Plus you must pay the “vig” in full, consisting of:
- $159 boot fee
- $80 Sheriff’s fee
- 5% surcharge
You will receive a secret release code to plug into a keypad on Das Boot. After you remove the sixteen-pound monster, the clock begins ticking. You have 24 hours to return the boot to one of three “boot camps,” at:
- Williamsburg Service Center, 713 Kent Avenue
- Kings County Parking, 581 Clarkson Avenue
- Midland Parking Garage, 1712 East 14th Street
What if I can’t pay?
You can pay by cash, money orders, or cashier’s checks at one of the DOF Business Centers [but only if you appear in person and are the owner of the booted vehicle]. After payment is received, a support officer will magically appear within 2-4 hours to remove Das Boot from your vehicle [2-4 hours? Yea, right!].
What if I can’t pay all my NYC parking ticket debt in one payment?
You can plead and prove financial hardship in person at one of the Business Centers. If your plea is approved, you can enter into a payment plan. The big but is you are required to pay:
- All fees
- 50% of your parking ticket debt up-front
Commentary
Would you prefer to return to your empty parking space, find your missing vehicle, travel to the pound, pay your judgment debt and fees, and repossess your re-possessed chariot? Or, return to your parking space and find a yellow “scarlet letter” choking the wheel of your car?
The boot vans are navigating the streets of Brooklyn searching for vehicles belonging to NYC parking ticket scofflaws. The army of vans is equipped with license plate recognition technology that reads license plates and matches plates with scofflaws. If a vehicle is eligible for the boot, an NYC Deputy Sheriff will authorize Das Boot.
If you damage the huge thing, you’ll be charged $500. If you don’t return Das Boot to boot camp within 24 hours, you may be charged $25 per day in late fees. If you don’t make arrangements to remove the device, your car will be towed.
The solution? When you’re right-FIGHT. When you’re wrong-PAY. If you can’t pay, march on down to a Business Center and make arrangements to enter a payment plan.
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