MEMPHIS, TN - The boots are coming out and the cars are getting towed away in Downtown Memphis. The city's new 'Boot and Tow' program is in full swing.
One Memphis Police officer was assigned full time for the program as of January 10.
Josh Lombard, who works downtown, observed, "There were people out here the other day and cops were writing tickets left and right."
It's something Lombard can expect to see more often. "He went and wrote one lady a ticket," Lombard says, "She shrugged it off and went back inside the jewelry store. He told her, he has 20 minutes before he can write her another one. If they don't follow it, they deserve to get towed."
The city's boot and tow program went into effect January 2. If you have three unpaid parking tickets, your car can be booted. If the tickets aren't paid within 48 hours, the tow truck steps in. It's a system designed to get people with unpaid parking tickets to finally pay up.
Steve Gones said it's a good plan. "You have to follow the rules I guess. You have to do what you have to do. If you park illegally, you have to deal with it."
Lombard said it's a lesson for those who park illegally. "If they keep it there for an excessive amount of time and they had a ticket once, and the second and third time, they should have a right to tow it," Lombard says, "They're not paying it and not following city rules."
