Parking tickets fall in Bloomington amid shifting duties

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - An effort that's enlisted Bloomington's parking enforcement officers in crime-fighting efforts spurred a 30 percent drop in parking tickets issued this summer in the college town.

City information shows about 4,500 parking citations were issued from May 1 to July 31, bringing in about $94,000 in fines. That's a 29 percent drop from the 6,300 citations issued in the same period last year that brought in $132,000.

The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports the decline was driven by the fact that parking enforcement officers now also help patrol the streets.

The officers' duties changed under a trial program launched in late April by Mayor John Hamilton to help combat aggressive panhandling, drug abuse and other crime.

That program allows the officers to volunteer part of their time on duty to fight crime.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com