Chicago raises $7 million in ticket amnesty

Chicago officials say the city raked in $7 million and wiped 135,000 unpaid parking and red-light tickets off the books during a 10-week amnesty .

The amnesty set the stage for a new threshold for applying the wheel-locking Denver boot, which will take effect in April. Instead of three tickets qualifying the car for a boot, two unpaid parking tickets will cause the car to immobilized until the tickets are paid.

The city waived only 50 percent of the penalties, and only on tickets issued before Jan. 1, 2007. In order to qualify, tickets had to be paid in full.

Chicago's Office of Budget and Management projected a $1 million take from the amnesty.