City issues 9,000 incorrect parking tickets in last year, report says Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT EAD OVER THE CAUSEWAY, NO ADVISORIES OR RESTRICTIONS. GINA: BREAKING NEWS THIS MORNING, AND THIS IS A STORY THAT EFFECTS ALL DRIVERS IN THE CITY. THE NEW ORLEANS INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE SAYS THE CITY HAS ISSUED 9000 BOGUS PARKING TICKETS IN THE LAST YEAR. CHARLES: THE IG'S PROBE COMES AFTER A SERIES OF WDSU INVESTIGATES REPORTS INTO THIS MATTER OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS. GINA: INVESTIGATE REPORTER TRAVERS MACKEL HAS MORE THIS MORNING ON JUST HOW BAD THE PROBLEM IS. TRAVERS: THE CITY'S INSPECTOR GENERAL SAYS THOUSANDS OF PARKING TICKETS HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY ISSUED IN NEW ORLEANS. >> THE CITY ISSUES ABOUT 9000 TICKETS ERRONEOUSLY A YEAR. TRAVERS: HOWARD SCHWARTZ, A FORMER FBI AGENT AND THE IG'S TOP INVESTIGATOR STARTED HIS INVESTIGATION AFTER OUR SERIES OF REPORTS THAT BEGAN LAST FALL. >> 7000 OF THOSE TICKETS CAN BE TRACED TO JUST A HUMAN ERROR. PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS EITHER PUT THE WRONG DAY DOWN OR TRANSPOSED THE NUMBER ON THE LICENSE PLATE SO WHAT HAPPENS IS INSTEAD OF ABC, THEY PUT BCA. TRAVERS: IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS, WDSU INVESTIGATES FOUND OUT THAT DOZENS OF PEOPLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA RECEIVED WHAT THEY SAY ARE BOGUS PARKING CITATIONS FROM THE CITY OF THE NEW ORLEANS. TAXI CAB DRIVER GLEN TROTTER KNEW BACK THEN THE ISSUE WAS BIG. >> IT IS MORE THAN A SMOKING GUN. I THINK IT IS AN ATOMIC TOM. -- OBAMA. -- ATOMIC BOMB. TRAVERS: ALL THESE DRIVERS USED THE CITY'S OWN TECHNOLOGY TO PROVE THE PARKING CONTROL OFFICERS WRONG. WHEN THE CITY ISSUES A TICKET A PICTURE IS SNAPPED. ONLY PROBLEM, ALL THESE DRIVERS RECEIVED TICKETS FOR VEHICLES THAT WEREN'T THEIRS. >> MY VEHICLE IS A CHEVROLET TAHOE, AN SUV, AND THE VEHICLE IN THE PICTURE IS A MERCEDES-BENZ AND IT IS SILVER. IT IS A FOUR-DOOR SEDAN. TRAVERS: CLEARLY NO MERCY TAKING THIS -- MISTAKING THIS FOR A MERCEDES. >> CLEARLY NOT. TRAVERS: SCHWARTZ SAYS THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, AND HOPEFULLY WILL BE CORRECTED BY CITY HALL.

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