The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "parking tickets" ...
-
Double Standard
The story investigates the alleged unfair treatment of individuals in an Indiana traffic court.
Tags: Beech Grove; traffic court; handicapped parking; parking; ticket
-
Ghost Tickets
For decades now city officials, city police, and their spouses and friends are not paying their parking tickets and getting away with it. In this investigation of this secret parking ticket favors, it reveals that “millions of dollars” are lost from these parking tickets and the city must find a way to fix the problem. Further, the city’s government is being ridiculed for their lack of control and supervision over such practices.
Tags: Albany, NY; audit; finances; corruption; leaders; local government; department; Common Council
-
The Protected
One million cars owned by California public employees have license plates that shield their information from prying eyes. That secrecy can enable them to run toll booths and red lights and avoid parking citations. They also signal police that the drivers are "one of their own" or related to someone who is, causing many to let these public employees off with a warning.
Tags: license plates; California; law enforcement; traffic violations; cronyism; red light cameras; speeding tickets
-
Fake Parking Ticket Scandal
It was found that at least one city parking agent had been issuing fake parking tickets to residents and tourists in Baltimore. The Inspector General led an investigation which led to one agent being suspended without pay and city prosecutors reviewed the case to help in the criminal investigation.
-
NewsChannel 5 Investigates: The Ticket Fix
The NewsChannel 5 "investigation discovered a systemic problem with parking and speeding tickets being fixed in the city of Nashville. Among the beneficiaries: friends of cops and judges, politicians, Tennessee Titans, even court employees. Out of 136,000 parking tickets in a two-year period, 16,000 were dismissed without explanation. Out of 166,000 speeding tickets, 14,000 were dismissed without explanation."
Tags: traffic violations; tickets; fixing; Tennessee
-
Parking Ticket Pay-Up
ABC 26 investigates 5 years worth of unpaid city parking tickets in New Orleans and finds the total to be more than 63 million dollars. One vehicle had more than 40 thousand dollars in parking tickets while UPS delivery trucks owed the most money - 200 thousand dollars. Investigation also revealed that drivers avoid paying fines by lying about losing their plates to get a new number and address.
Tags: parking tickets; New Orleans; fines; automobiles; parking delinquent; motor vehicles
-
Parking Tickets Unpaid
Motorists in Birmingham have gone years without paying traffic tickets. As this investigation finds out, people in the city owe over 12 million dollars for parking and traffic tickets dated back to 1989. As a result of this published article, the city is considering implementing an amnesty program to get motorists to pay up.
Tags: motorists; traffic tickets; parking tickets; amnesty program; Birmingham; Alabama; unpaid traffic tickets; traffic regulations
-
Ticket Demand Is High, But Are New Fenway Seats Worth Risk?
Bill Dedman investigates the dangers at Fenway Park and other baseball parks around the country. He finds that, although baseball teams and Major League baseball don't count injuries, many occur each year. He measures distances of seats in Fenway and finds that they are dangerously close to the action, without a safety net.
-
Parking tickets include fee for phantom towing
A computer analysis of more than 38,000 parking tickets revealed that a police officer was assessing towing charges on hundreds of tickets he wrote for illegally parked cars – even though he never summoned a tow truck. The charges for the phantom tows totaled nearly $10,000, making him the city’s most prolific ticket writer. After the story, the city suspended the officer, offered refunds and no longer allows ticketing officers to assess towing charges.
Tags: car; towing; ticket; fraud; police officer; parking; parking ticket
-
The Speeder's Secret
The Kansas state municipal court system allows drivers who have been ticketed for moving violations and reduce them to parking tickets. As this report reveals, this sanction is used by many drivers and as a result many unsafe drivers still have a licence. A part of the story also talks about a computer system that allows various counties to share moving violations which is not being used or updated by the state officials.
Tags: transportation; traffic tickets; parking tickets; Kansas State municipal court system; court system; moving violations