Did you know you’re a cat to be skinned?
According to county treasurer Frank O’Leary, “It’s our dream come true:”
Property-tax evaders and parking-ticket scofflaws in Arlington County take notice: Officials are collecting outstanding taxes and fines at the rate of about $900 an hour with the help of an electronic roving eye.
County officials last month began using the BootFinder, a small, hand-held camera that scans license plates of parked cars to identify people with delinquent property-tax bills and unpaid parking tickets.
[…]
Two treasury workers patrol the city in a van, aiming the camera at the license plates of parked cars. The camera is connected to a laptop computer that compares the license owner’s name against a database of persons with outstanding taxes or fines.
If a car’s owner has any unpaid taxes or fines, the computer audibly informs the camera’s operator, who calls the treasurer’s office for verification. After the information is verified, the workers remove the car’s license plates and place a bright green levy sticker on the driver’s side windshield.
[…]
Arlington isn’t using the camera because it has an unusual problem with outstanding debts, Mr. O’Leary said. “We’re just always looking for new ways to skin the cat.” [Emph. added]
This is why I’ll never serve on a traffic court jury. I won’t convict. Traffic citations aren’t about public safety — ever notice how ticket-proof cops drive? — they’re about revenue generation.
(Thanks to Joshua.)
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