Some Los Angeles law enforcers have piled up stacks of parking tickets by using a loophole in a state law designed to conceal their home addresses from criminals, reports CBS News. Reporter David Goldstein said LA County Officer William Grundy was the top offender, with more than 250 citations on two cars. Since his address is hidden in DMV records, the city’s Department of Transportation is unable to track him down to seek payment of fines. State Assemblyman Jeff Miller has introduced legislation to close the loophole by preventing those in the program with unpaid tickets from re-registering their cars, just like everyone else.
Meanwhile, the LA Weekly reports that LA Police Chief Charlie Beck sent a letter to Goldstein’s station criticizing him for “ambushing” a police official in connection with the story. The reporter found that Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger had 18 unpaid tickets on his car. He spoke to Paysinger at a police event, and the tickets were paid a few days later. Beck said, “I am hopeful that in the future your reporters and producers will not feel the need to ambush LAPD personnel. Had your reporter requested an interview in advance, the assistant chief would have spoken to the reporter once he had an opportunity to investigate the facts.”