Driven Into Debt
How Tickets Burden the Poor
Parking, traffic camera and vehicle tickets generate millions of dollars in desperately needed cash each year for the City of Chicago. But for the working poor, and particularly for African Americans, paying for tickets can be difficult — opening the door to more fines and fees, and spiraling debt. Drivers who don’t pay what they owe face tough punishments from the city and state that threaten their livelihoods.
Everybody in Chicago’s Mayor’s Race Says They Want Ticket Reform
Proposals from the 14 candidates range from studying ticketing enforcement disparities to overhauling payment plans.
Feeling Trapped by Vehicle Tickets? Let’s Talk About It — Live
We’re hosting a community forum on March 4 and would love to see you.
How to Use the Ticket Trap, Our New Database That Lets You Explore How Chicago Tickets Motorists and Collects Debt
We hope you’ll play around with it and let us know how we can make it better.
The Ticket Trap
We’ve collected data on 54 million tickets issued over the past two decades in the city. Search for your address and compare your ward with others, and see how Chicago’s reliance on ticketing affects motorists across the city.
We Want to Hear About Your Experiences With Vehicle Tickets, So We Created a Facebook Group
We’ll share our latest stories there and give you a preview of an upcoming project.
Chicago Task Force Will Take on Ticket and Debt Collection Reform
The group is part of an effort to make vehicle ticketing less unfair.
Chicago Throws Out 23,000 Duplicate Tickets Issued Since 1992 to Motorists Who Didn’t Have Vehicle Stickers
The move is the city’s latest effort to reform its troubled ticketing and debt collection practices.
Chicago City Council Approves Modest First Reforms on Ticketing and Debt
The changes signal a growing acknowledgement that the city’s reliance on fines and fees to generate revenue has come at a significant cost for some residents.
Top Chicago Alderman Adds to Growing Momentum for Ticket and Debt Reform
The proposal, the latest in a series of reforms aiming to respond to growing public pressure, would make it easier for motorists to avoid having their driver’s licenses suspended.
Chicago Considers Wiping Away Old Ticket Debt for Motorists Who File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
The proposal is intended to discourage drivers from filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, but it does nothing to change onerous payment plans for motorists who don’t file at all.
Chicago Alderman Proposes Reining in Ticket Penalties That Drove Thousands of Black Motorists Into Debt
The proposal would cap late penalties and create community service alternatives to some fines.
Chicago City Clerk Calls for Reforms of Vehicle Sticker Program
Anna Valencia proposed creating city sticker options so low-income drivers can afford to be in compliance and avoid costly tickets.
What More Can We Learn From Chicago Ticket Data?
We’ve made the data easy to download, and we invite you to use it as we keep reporting.
Download Chicago’s Parking Ticket Data Yourself
For the first time, the city’s database, which tracks more than 28 million parking and vehicle compliance tickets, is easily available to the public.
What’s the City of Chicago Doing About Its Problem With Duplicate Sticker Tickets?
Seven weeks after the city pledged to address the issue, drivers are still on the hook — and now Chicago’s ticketing practices are becoming an issue in the mayor’s race.
The “Terrible” Consequences of Chicago’s Ticketing Policies
The city tried to raise revenues by hiking the cost of sticker tickets, but instead hurt motorists in low-income, black neighborhoods.
Chicago Hiked the Cost of Vehicle City Sticker Violations to Boost Revenue. But It’s Driven More Low-Income, Black Motorists Into Debt.
Now, a former official regrets the move and wants the city to revisit it. Some policies, she said, are “terrible.”
How ProPublica Illinois and WBEZ Worked Together to Find Thousands of Duplicate Tickets in Chicago
We heard from you about how ticket debt, especially from $200 city sticker citations, has affected you. And we would like your help as we continue our reporting.
Three City Sticker Tickets on the Same Car in 90 Minutes?
Chicago has issued 20,000 duplicate city sticker tickets since 2007. City officials are now looking at whether this violates a city ordinance and say motorists might be in for a refund.
Chicago Begins To Rethink How Bankruptcy Lawyers Get Paid
Judges are demanding that lawyers tell their clients that their other debts might not get paid, but their lawyers will.
