City Will Have Defined Access From SGI To Help Collect Unpaid Parking Fines
With the City of Moose Jaw set to collect unpaid parking fines there are plenty of questions to be asked how will the City do it?
How will the City track down 4,000 people owing over $1 million in outstanding parking fines?
How do you identify potential confrontations between Bylaw Enforcement Officers without infringing on the privacy rights of an individual?
In order to find out how the City will track down offenders’ vehicles to allow them to be impounded - including vehicles not ticketed for parking offences - MJ Independent sent over a list of questions on the first stop to identify the owners of vehicles who owe the City of Moose Jaw outstanding parking fines - SGI and their databases of registered vehicle owners.
The answers to the questions reveal the City can have access for parking bylaw enforcement but the information provided is still restricted due to privacy concerns.
The questions and answers are below.
By Robert Thomas
What is presently happening when it comes to municipalities accessing SGI's database when it comes to issuing fines such as parking tickets?
In order for an agency or municipality to be given access to SGI information, they must complete a questionnaire and submit it to SGI for consideration.
As part of the process, the agency must identify under which legislation they have authorization to request the specific information they are asking to receive.
If SGI is satisfied with their legal reason for accessing the information and the processes they have in place for protecting the privacy of that information then they receive limited access that matches the purpose of their request.
Are the municipalities, or their assignees (designates) charged for this access to what I believe is discovering the ownership of a motor vehicle based upon SGI's vehicle registration data?
Currently, law enforcement agencies, including bylaw enforcement, are not charged for access.
In Moose Jaw, Council was told that collection efforts could include towing all offenders vehicles not just the one where the parking offense occurred. My question is, will the City of Moose Jaw (bylaw department) be able to access SGI's database beyond revealing the registered owner of the vehicle illegally parked?
In the system that the municipal parking enforcement has access to, searches are conducted by licence plate number of the offending vehicle, not by the name of the registered owner. So the system would not generate a list of other vehicles owned by that person.
What is SGI's policy on providing a printout of all vehicles owned by a particular registered owner? Does SGI allow municipalities, or their police designates accessing SGI's databases to get a printout of all vehicles registered by a parking fine offender? That is not just the vehicle initially illegally parked?
Individuals can request this information about themselves directly through SGI but municipalities who have an agreement with SGI for access to information do not have this functionality.
Is there any charge - if this is allowed - to a municipality for accessing SGI's databases for this purpose?
N/A
Also during the informal discussion there was mention made of the potential of using SGI owned technology to scan for license plates of vehicles owned by parking offenders. I am speaking about the plate reader used to identify license plates of stolen plates, unregistered vehicles, and restricted/suspended drivers. My question is this allowed?
SGI funds ALPRs to aid in traffic enforcement, not parking enforcement. They are not used for that purpose.
Can a municipality make use of SGI's owned plate reader and other technology to scan for vehicles owned by people who have unpaid parking tickets in order to seize a vehicle?
No.
What are the Privacy restrictions and legislation surrounding this?
N/A
If this is allowed is there any charge to the municipality?
N/A
One of the issues brought up was the potential of violence by people whose vehicles were being seized for the non-payment of parking fines. My question is if a municipality does have legal access to SGI's databases to collect unpaid parking fines does the database(s) provide information on a registered owner when it comes to the potential of violence?
No, it is simply registration information.
Is there any charge for such access?
N/A
Does SGI have any concerns about a municipality accessing their database(s) to collect unpaid parking fines?
Where permitted by legislation, SGI shares information with municipalities with limited access that matches the purpose of their request. SGI grants this access so they may administer and enforce their own bylaws.
Are there concerns about privacy if permission or access were to be granted?
N/A