BRIDGEWATER — They thought they were smart, but the police got smarter.
Police in this Somerset County town, home to one of the state’s largest shopping malls, have issued a record number of parking tickets this year to drivers faking their way into handicap spaces by using state-issued hang tags that belonged to dead relatives.
The crime isn’t new, but this level of enforcement is — and the court expects to collect fines worth up to $163,000, and counting.
Police Chief Richard J. Borden described the crackdown as a community service and the policing has won the praise of a prominent Central Jersey disability advocate.
The ticket blitz also has become something of a cash cow for the municipality.
As of last week, township police officers issued 451 handicap parking summonses worth $256 a piece, and 340 improper use of handicap placard and 27 improper placard display summonses each worth $56. Court costs are an additional $33 a ticket.
Last year, by comparison, Bridgewater police issued just 97 tickets worth $27,243 for the same violations. Ticket revenue is split between municipal and county authorities after the state collects $6 from each ticket.
