Police cracking down on Mount Prospect vehicle sticker violators

More than 20 percent of Mount Prospect residents break the law every time they get into their cars, said Police Chief John Dahlberg.

"Thousands and thousands of residents buy village stickers but we also have thousands and thousands who do not," he said. "Unfortunately, the number of people who don't comply has risen in the past couple of years and we need to do something about it."

About 37,000 Mount Prospect residents have valid vehicle stickers and about 12,000 don't. The number of people not buying stickers has risen for the past few years, said Dahlberg, who blames the economy for the drop in compliance.

"I'm certain the economy plays a factor but the cost for a sticker is not exorbitant," he said. "It should be like buying a license. You need it in order to drive."

Starting Saturday, Aug. 1, Mount Prospect will be checking cars for the village stickers. Police will monitor major intersections and some residential neighborhoods for two months to try and catch as many sticker scofflaws as possible.

Police find violators by checking license plates to see if the car is registered to a Mount Prospect resident. Other drivers just have an expired sticker, Dahlberg said.

He won't say which intersections will be monitored or what times of day police will be watching for village stickers.

"This is a zero-tolerance campaign," he said. "We won't be handing out warnings, either. It's an expensive endeavor but it merits our attention. People are going to say this is about getting money for the police department, but it's not. It's about fairness."

Dahlberg often gets calls and e-mails from residents reporting other residents who live in Mount Prospect but don't buy a vehicle sticker.

"It really rubs people the wrong way," he said.

If residents buy village stickers before May 1, they are $36 each. Currently the stickers cost $63 and in September they cost will rise again to $72.

The money from the vehicle stickers goes back into Mount Prospect's general fund.

For more information on vehicle stickers, go to mountprospect.org.