Amityville to 'boot' scofflaws with unpaid tickets, officials say

Spring means open season on ticket scofflaws in Amityville.

Under pressure to find new revenue and cut down on a backlog of 4,000 unpaid tickets, village trustees voted 5-0 Monday night to strengthen a law that lets police "boot" vehicles with three or more outstanding summonses, warrants or unpaid fines anytime they find them.

Previously, police had to catch a vehicle while it was in violation in order to apply the device, which immobilizes a vehicle when applied to one of the wheels.

"This is house cleaning," said trustee Kevin Smith, who said some of the unpaid tickets have sat on village books for years.

The village is owed $400,000 in unpaid tickets, trustee Nick LaLota estimated. About $40,000 is owed by drivers with three or more violations, he said.

Drivers have about a week before the law is filed with the state and becomes enforceable. "Folks out there who want to come clean, now's the time to do it," LaLota said.