If you are haunted by a surplus of unpaid parking fines, brace yourself.
You could walk out to “the skillet” looking for your car and only find an empty parking space.
You think: Was it stolen? Maybe. Are your friends pranking you? Hopefully. But chances are that your car has been found by university police after being placed on the “tow list.”
University of Central Arkansas Police Department (UCAPD) spokesman Arch Jones said a car with any amount of unpaid fines can be legally towed, but police pay special attention to those with excess fines.
“At this time, if an individual has fines in excess of $200, they are on the tow list,” Jones said.
There are currently 16 cars on the towing chopping block. There have been eight towed so far this semester.
Jones said the recent towings are a normal occurrence.
“Generally, an officer performing parking enforcement duties will verify with the on-duty dispatcher that the vehicle in question is on the tow list.”
Police then call Pro Auto, a local company contracted to handle all towings on campus.
After the car is impounded, a student must pay all outstanding fines, the towing cost and the impound fee before his or her car will be released.
UCA collected $178,790 in parking fines from July 1, 2012 to June 1, 2013.
This money was incorporated into UCA’s total income and reallocated in the 2013-2014 budget.
Jones said student drivers with excessive fines shouldn’t be surprised if their car is towed, because the UCA Parking and Traffic Rules and Regulation pamphlet is given to each person when they pick up a parking permit.
You can brush up on UCA’s parking policies here, and read UCAPD’s advice on how to avoid parking fines here.
