Politics & Government

Dormont Mayor, Acting Chief At Odds Over Parking Tickets

The mayor directed officers to stop issuing state tickets for violations the acting chief says should properly be issued as such by law.

Dormont Mayor Tom Lloyd has directed police to stop writing a half-dozen parking violations as state vehicle code violations, contrary to the direction of the acting chief.

Acting chief Richard Dwyer said when he began looking into procedures shortly after being hired, he found officers had been incorrectly issuing borough citations for offenses such as parking on sidewalks. Instead, he said, that's a state vehicle code violation.

“I wanted to make sure everything was in compliance and that everything was the way it should be,” he said Tuesday. And the state vehicle code, he said, trumps municipal ordinances in such matters.

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He sent an email July 11 saying that parking violations that fall under the state vehicle code must be written on state traffic citation forms.

“Effective immediately only borough parking violations may be written on borough parking tags. State law is very clear, no local ordinances may supersede state law,” Dwyer wrote.

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The violations in question are parking on sidewalks, parking too close to fire hydrants and intersections, blocking driveways, parking in a handicapped spot and parking on private property without permission.

But three days later, Lloyd sent an email stating "enforcement should be suspended until after council meets to review this change."

Dwyer said there's been no change, rather, tickets are to be issued in compliance with the law.

Lloyd sees it differently.

“The way the law is written, it’s an either or thing,” Lloyd said Tuesday.

“You can do it on the white (borough) ticket as we’ve done it for years. And you have the option, if you want to, to use the yellow (state) form," he said.

Lloyd said he checked on the matter with District Judge Blaise Larotonda and was told the tickets could be issued either way.

Larotonda did not immediately return a phone message left Tuesday seeking comment.

In either case, the borough gets $15 for the basic violation ($75 for parking in a handicapped spot) but various state-authorized fees bump up the cost of the state citation to about $100.

“We should be in the business of being as courteous as we can to our residents. I’m not sure the administrator and the acting chief understand that,” Lloyd said. “We don’t want you to park in front of the fire hydrant, but we don’t want to sock you with a $100 fine.”

Dwyer said he wants council to address the issue with the mayor.

“This issue with the mayor has to be resolved. I can’t put out orders and then have the mayor rescind them,” Dwyer said.

Council is expected to look into the issue.


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