Get your city license immediately.
Posted Tuesday evening by Margot Hackett at Rogersparkdog.blogspot.com - I posted last week that the Chicago Police bike officers were threatening to ticket dog owners without a license in our parks. As of today, they have branched out onto our streets.
No more than 30 minutes ago (Tuesday evening), I was walking up Morse Avenue, between Glenwood and Greenview, with my dogs Macy, Bailey, Sydney and my client's dog Siris. Siris's dad is in Isreal and he is staying with me for a month. Three Chicago police officers, on bikes, asked me to stop. They asked me if I was a dog walker and I explained to them that three of the dogs were mine and one belonged to a friend, who was out of town. I knew where they were going, so I informed them that the dogs had been very recently vaccinated for rabies. I explained that I had sent in the paperwork for their city tags, but to date had not gotten the tags.
The officers wrote a citation and told me that I could present my receipt to the court and escape the fine.
Well there is one small problem. When I went the ve t for the dog's vaccinations, I was not automatically given the applications...I had to request them. I was given the exact same application I have recieved in years past. Guess what...No receipt! Ony this years updated application has a tear off receipt. Even if there was a receipt, I mailed the form in with my check for $60. So who would fill out the receipt, besides me? So we're back at square one. Do you trust my word or do you want to take me to court? Clearly, the latter was the preferred method.
So, I either have to anti up the fine or inconveniance my clients and loose wages by making a 2:30 p.m. hearing downtown on August 2nd to contest the charges. Not a possibility!!!! Even if I did make the court date, I have no physical proof that I had sent in my paperwork prior to the ticket.
Oh and one more thing: violation of municiple code 7-12-14 does not have penalties listed on the ticket, so I have no inkling as to what I owe in fines. ; I also don't know if I can mail in payment, which must be received within 7 days to avoid going to court.
Siris, by the way, got off without a citation. But he also does not have a city license, which means I must contact Tom in Isreal, ask his vet to fax paperwork to me and go to City Hall to get his tag as well. GRRRRRR!!!!
Immediately after receiving the citation, I stopped at Morse Market to pick up some food. I was examining the ticket in the parking lot to see if I could find the fine amount. A patron walked out of the store and asked me what I had been ticketed for. When I told her, her response was "you've got to be kidding!" She asked me where I received the ticket. I told her we were just a bit north of Soo's liquors. The woman couldn't believe that three bike officers would be more concerned with me and four restrained, calm animals than they would be over the normal group that hangs out in front of Soo's. I must agree!!!!
Don't waste another second, get your city license!
26 comments:
Another example of the Mayor and his cronies turning the Chicago Police Department into a revenue collection agency. Same thing with all these seatbelt missions. Money makers, nothing more. These Officers who should be in the seedier parts of town fighting crime, are instead writing violations for unlicensed animals. But that's what the Mayor wants. And that's what he will get. So don't blame the Officers. Blame the Mayor. He's the one that is directing that valuable resources be diverted from pressing matters to things like this. And before you get mad at me, I agree that dogs should be licensed. I just disagree with using Officers to do this while Rome burns.
7-12-140 License required.
(a) Each owner, as defined in this chapter, of each dog four months of age or older shall pay a city license fee for the privilege of owning such dog, unless such dog shall be temporarily within the possession of a veterinary hospital, pet shop, kennel, or humane society. Dogs which are the property of any subdivision of local, state or federal government shall be issued complimentary licenses. Any dog properly trained to guide or otherwise assist a blind person shall be issued a complimentary license upon the presentation of proof of vaccination.
(b) Upon determining that an owner subject to the license requirement of subsection (a) of this section has failed to obtain such license, the city clerk shall issue a notice of violation to the owner. If, within 30 days from the date such notice is deposited in the mail, the owner has not come into compliance with subsection (a), the city clerk shall issue a second notice of violation to the owner. The notice required by this subsection shall be sent by first class mail addressed to the owner at the most recent address shown on county rabies vaccination records.
(c) The penalty for failure to obtain the license required by this section shall be no less than $30.00 and no greater than $200.00 for each offense.
(d) The provisions of Article I of Chapter 2-14 of the code shall apply to subsections (b) and (c) of this section.
However,:
7-12-190 Citations.
The commission, through its animal control officers, is authorized to issue citations against the owner of any animal for violations of this chapter.
I think this all means that you have thirty days to comply with the statute. Maybe not, but it may be worth fighting, since you received a violation for so many animals.
Here is the website you can pull up the muni code.
http://www.amlegal.com/library/il/chicago.shtml
Possible the Soo Liquior customers are political suporters of Jomo-
Think the loose dogs in Lyola Park
need tickening more than your dogs-
Oh, please. Just get your darn licenses and stop whining. Why did you let the old licenses expire before getting new ones? There's been a license requirement in this town as long as I can remember.
And, yet another miscreant complaining that the police should be working on more important stuff.
Yes, you are correct, they should. But instead they had to spend more time with you than necessary because YOU do not have licenses for your dogs. They could have spent like ONE minute with you, and then moved on to more important things...but no, you were in need of their attention...
When I call the police about public drinking in our alley, no one gets arrested or ticketed even if we are lucky enough for the police to show up.
Also, watch out while riding your bikes. One of the guys who attends the boxing gym I go to was handed a $20 ticket. He usually rides his bike to the gym, and he was riding it on the sidewalk when he was stopped.
Usually, there are signs painted on the sidewalks on Sheridan Road as soon at it gets warm, warning people not to ride their bikes on them. Guess the city didn't get around to it soon enough this year.
Does this gentleman not know about the rules regarding riding bikes on sidewalks? Does he need someone to remind him on a daily basis?
Funny, I drive a car, and I have no problems remembering not to drive on the sidewalk even without giant painted "no driving on the sidewalk" signs.
The No Bicyles on the sidewalk signs are permanently affixed and are there year round.
As a pedestrian, I'd appreciate it if people would obey these signs. Pedestrians shouldn't have to compete with bikes.
However, the CPD isn't much of an example-setter here. Last week, two uniformed police officers were riding their bikes on the walk by the Village Theatre.
E! said...
Oh, please. Just get your darn licenses and stop whining. Why did you let the old licenses expire before getting new ones? There's been a license requirement in this town as long as I can remember.
You are right. But the proceedure has always been in the past, that you apply for your tag when you innoculate your dogs. The reason for this is you must prove that your dog is current for rabies.
I mailed my applications with a check for $60, just haven't received my tags.
For the record, I am not against the city license. I think it's important. If vets were allowed to collect fees and issue tags, as they do for the park district Dog Friendly Areas, we would not need to waste valuable police time to ensure Chicago dog owners license their pets.
When you get your city sticker for your car, you can purchase it at your aldermans office or any currency exchange and have it in your hand the same day.
City dog owners have only two options. Go downtown or mail their application in. Most don't, not because they are miscreants or nere do wells, but because they simply forget. Out of the $500,000 dogs estimated in the city, only 20,000 dogs are licensed. We clearly have a problem here.
Two years ago, when the city developed the ability to cross reference the rabies and city tag databases, the city issued 3000 warnings notices to owners not in compliance. Guess what happened? Owners sent their applications in. However the city hand engraves these tags, 10 minutes a tag, and could not keep up with the demand for tags.
No more notices were sent out and the whole issue was put on the back burner.
Now we are issueing tickets in an attempt to force compliance. I agree dog owners should comply. I disagree with how we are doing it.
Chasing after pet owners is a waste of our policemans time and will clog the court system as well. Making the process mandatory at the time the animal is innoculated, would solve a lot of problems.
Still, we have about 470,000 dogs out there that still aren't licensed, so clearly this alone is not the sole solution. Make it easier and more conveniant for owners to pay their fees and get their tags will. Allowing currency exchanges and alderman offices the ability to collect fees and issue tags same day would go a long way to fixing the problem.
For the record, I do intend to pay the fine.
your check is your receipt. The date is was cashed will be on the back.
Bike riding on Chicago sidewalks is not allowed for anyone over 12 years old. That's the law. This law should be enforced in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic, like Sheridan Road. It's not as if there are no parallel streets suitable for bike riding.
""The woman couldn't believe that three bike officers would be more concerned with me and four restrained, calm animals""
could it be that four calm dogs were with some white guy who was shouting at them for doing their job?
Frankly you get in more grief with the police then anyone I know. Sometimes life doesn't always have a sneaky problem going on, things just happen. People just sell food from a cart, people throw trash into planters, people don't buy dog tags, this is not a group of insurgents, just people fucking up and doing stupid shit.
I know what you can do during the slow news times, you could back track through all the past million posts you perceive as problems and start trying to solve one or two..
Dbt,
The guy from my gym who was ticketed lives in Evanston, and he didn't know the Chicago rules about biking on sidewalks. I'm not sure if the same rule applies in Evanston.
Dorothy said...
"could it be that four calm dogs were with some white guy who was shouting at them for doing their job?
Frankly you get in more grief with the police then anyone I know."
Dorothy,
Are you referring to Craig or me.
I am a white girl and I was very polite with the officers that cited me.
This is the only run in I have had with the police ever in the 10 years I have lived here, outside of reporting stolen items or alerting them to a problem.
I know almost all the beat cops and they all wave when they drive by.
e! If your referring to me, all of my dogs are licensed. I obey all laws particularly when it comes to my animals. I just hate the way this mayor uses the Police Dept. to raise revenue and then claims he's waging war on crime. Those Officers should be out there fighting crime, not stopping some guy because he has a few dogs.
Hi Abe,
Thanks for posting the municipal code. I actually pulled it up last night, just didn't have time to do it before work. I would not imagine I would pay more than the minimum for a first offense with restrained animals. What is unclear, is whether it $30 per dog.
I have called 311, Administrative Hearings, Animal Care and Control,24th district Head Quarters, Department of Revenue and the City Clerks office.
Only the police department knew you could be fined for this violation but told me they thought the fine was $25.
What is wierd is that no other department, besides the ACC, knew you could be fined for this. No one knows what the fine is.
I could go to court to contest this, thanks Julie I didn't think about the cancelled check. Being self employed, I will come out cheaper if I just pay the fine and avoid having to take a day off for court.
The City Clerk told me she was going to delve into this further. She told me in her tenure at this office, she had never heard of this. She suggested I send in my payment of $30 with a letter explaining that I cannot attend court, I want to pay my fine and detailing all the departments I contacted in an effort to determine the exact fine. She also suggested that I mention that if the penalty is not correct to please contact me and I will gladly pay what's owed.
That is what I am going to do and hope for the best.
if you don't appear at administrative hearings, they find you guilty and charge you court costs plus the fine generally totalling $575.
I know a guy who got a $25 ticket for littering near a park, missed court and now owes $575.
If it's per dog, which I suspect it is, I suggest you show up with the cancelled check.
Just my 2 cents - big daddy is right. Daley funds the city on fees, fines, permits, tickets and taxes....he has no large tax base to speak of after driving every viable industrial business out of the city...no wonder he voted against the big box ordinace. The big box generated hundreds of thousands for Evergreen Park after only a couple of months.
Ouch!!!
Guess I will be in court that day. I don't generate that kind of income daily!
By the way Julie, great picture in Chitown Daily!!!!
Margot: Clearly I need to up my medication, or is that reduce? I clearly read it as Craigs's, my error.
Darn it, I thought it was such a clever remark, sigh.
You actually own 4 dogs? What size is your home? I can only hope you have a hugh yard to use for their dog waste and there isn't 4 dogs, 3 times a day pissin other peoples property or in the parks. Thats as nasty a vision as the mango food cart guy pissing in the alley and wiping his hands on his pants.
The annoying thing is that they ask you to renew. You have to remember to get the apps from your vet, or you have to call City Hall and wait over 1 minute just to get to the point where you can hit the menu item you need, then wait for a person (usually pretty quick). Dorothy will answer, she's pretty nice. Then you wait about a week for the apps in the mail. Then you send your app back in and wait another 1.5-2 weeks. If you remembered to get everything right, you'll get your licenses, otherwise you get the return envelope with everything in it and you start over.
It's a very inefficient process. It would be helpful if they would take some measures like renewals on dogs that have the 3-year vaccination do not need to present the rabies cert year after year.
The other annoying thing is that the city is supposed to send out annual reminders to dog owners with the applications to renew the license. In the 4 years I've had one of my two dogs, this has never happened.
If the city really wants to make $5, whatever, but do we need such an annoying beurocratic process to get something so simple done?
A nice way would be...
(In an ideal world, the vets would give out the tags, but instead my idea still includes someone from city hall to manually put the tags in the mail.)
1. Have the vet register the vaccination online with the city. The city keeps this on file.
2. The city gives the vet a confirmation code for the customer to use that will allow one license.
3. The customer can either mail in payment OR go online with the code and pay (and of course pay a convenience fee for using a credit card ;-) )
4. Customer confirms mailing address for the tags and the city sends them. In the mean time, the customer could print proof of license and a license number designated to that dog. This should be evidence enough for the CPD to let you pass.
In some ways I kind of like it that they do this since I like it in the same way that they pull over people for seatbelts. So I have to admit that the process is annoying, I can't bitch about the fact that they are handing out tickets for this, yet sit here and say that I don't like the belt checks. The belt checks at least offer an opportunity to snoop through the window to see what's in the car or if it smells like something interesting. You can't exactly prove probable cause to search a person because your dog's tag expired or you don't have one.
Quite whining. Get a License. I did.
The thing is, Margot OBTAINED AND PAID FOR her license, and still got ticketed- and must go through an incredible bureaucratic process to get the ticket tossed out. She was ticketed because she had not yet received the license tags she paid for duly and on time.
The city's bureaucratic goldbricks don't give a damn how much of the citizen's time and money they waste, and they don't care for public safety, either. The whole point of their existance is to keep their own nice, secure jobs working for the city (or county, state, or feds) and create more of same...thus, a bureacratic process that is complex and time-consuming, the time and cost being born by the citizen. You either have to take a day off your paid job or away from your business to do what really could be simple.
But simplification would mean fewer city goldbricks with guaranteed lifetime jobs and fewer tickets issued to citizens who DID obey the law but are put to ungodly trouble and expense to prove they did.
Good idea RP Newbie! Though there would still be some turn around time between vaccinations and tags in hand. I would also suggest that expiration dates coincide with vaccinations.
Craigs tag, which he just purchased, expires 04/08. Now I don't know when Cota is due for her rabies in 2008, but say she is due in September. Does he bring the old form in or does he wait till September to renew?
The owner of Parkview pets, at Broadway and Balmoral, was hounding the ACC to give him a stack of applications. The ACC's automated system tells owners that applications can be picked up at your vet or local pet stores. New dog owners were coming in to get the application and he couldn't help them. He told me this went on for two years before he finally gave up.
Like Newbie, I am glad they are pursueing this, but the process for dog owners needs to be changed. I would like to see the city bulk order tags, blast the message over TV, radio and newspaper that they are allowing a one month grace period to allow owners to comply, then whammo! No excuses!!!
Allow applications and fees via email, currency exchanges, vets and aldermans offices.
Then go after non compliance with no mercy.
By the way, I did finally get an answer. I am obligated to attend a hearing. However once the ticket is in the court system, approximately another week, I may show up at court with my ticket at a time and date conveniant for me to have a hearing. Which means I can show up at 9 am, as opposed to 2:30 pm, have my case heard and not lose an entire days revenue.
Soooooo, 9 calls later I have at least half of my questions answered. I was on my way to the Common Cup for an iced coffee this morning. I heard a voice say "Excuse me miss, are those dogs licensed?" Looked up to see Bruce on a bike. Man, he really took the mickey out of me for a second. My first reaction was crickey! Not again!
One more thing, I logged on to my bank and my check has not posted. Bummer!!!
I think it's the children who need a special license and not pets. It appears kids cause more damage to our parks and the city than dogs. As long as your dog is innoculated...live and mind your own business. We have much bigger issues dog licenses.
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