Northwest Indiana Discussion

City police ding hundreds for seat belt, license plate violations

Dec 11, 2013. By Bill Dolan bill.dolan@nwi.com, (219) 662-5328

HAMMOND | Police were busy over recent days ticketing drivers for seat belt violations and impounding local residents' cars with out-of-state license plates.

Lt. Patrick Vicari, commander of traffic division, said this week officers who participated in the state's Operation Safe Family Travel campaign during the Thanksgiving holiday found hundreds of such violations while on roving patrols for drunken drivers and sobriety checkpoints.

They issued a total of 918 citations for drivers who were intoxicated, speeding, not wearing seat belts, had young passengers not seated in authorized child restraints, or vehicles with safety equipment not in order. (So, they pull motorists over and conduct an inspection looking for problems and a way to generate fines? Wtf)

Vicari said the officers put in 257 hours that were paid for with a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Officers also recently completed their most recent enforcement of state reciprocity laws against people who had failed to acquire Indiana license plates or driver's licenses after moving to the state or purchasing a vehicle with an out-of state plate. State law requires they do so and pay any excise tax due on the vehicle within 60 days of purchase.

Vicari said officers impounded 133 vehicles recently that investigation showed the owners were living in the city, but hadn't changed their plates. He said some of the people involved had moved in from as far away as the states of Virginia and Texas.

He said all 133 owners were required to pay the $145 cost of having their cars investigated, towed and stored. He said officers regularly conduct such license plate enforcements and issue warnings to owners of cars with out-of-state plates about a month before the next towing blitz.