The Shakedown

The Times profiles one of the Department of Finance’s parking ticket adjudicators, whose job is to help you avoid your day — er, a day in court:

Mr. [William] Beaman works for the city’s Department of Finance as part of its parking settlement program, which was started this year in all five boroughs as a service to parking ticket recipients waiting to contest their summonses. Mr. Beaman offers a driver the option of pleading guilty immediately and paying a reduced fine – avoiding the wait for a hearing and the risk of a guilty ruling from the judge followed by the full fine.

Mr. Beaman offers a deal prescribed by the city for each violation. For example, the $115 penalty for double-parking or parking at a bus stop would be reduced to $95, he said, and the $35 for an expired parking meter would become $26. Some offenses, such as parking in front of a fire hydrant, in a crosswalk or on a pedestrian ramp, are not eligible for a deal.

“It’s a set price,” Mr. Beaman said. “If I could negotiate, I’d be here all day.” He estimates he sees about 100 tickets an hour. “It gets crazy out here and I’m sort of the triage,” he said.

The pitch is simple — you won’t win and you should quit wasting everyone’s time, including your own:

“Here’s the deal,” he told a woman wearing a “I Met My Sweetie in Tahiti” T-shirt and holding a double-parking summons. “You see the judge and win? You walk away owing nothing. You lose? You owe $115. I’m offering you $95 right here, right now. You with it? You feeling me?”

She paused and Mr. Beaman said, “Think about it, you got till 5 p.m.” She wound up accepting.

Often, people are geared up for a showdown with the judge and scoff at first at Mr. Beaman’s offer. He might nod and say something innocuous: “Well, if you think you can convince the judge . . .,” his voice trailing off. A woman walked up armed with a packet of photos and documents atop a thick law book. She sniffed at Mr. Beaman’s offer and strode into the hearing area. “Some people have stronger cases than others, but whether you are a contender or a pretender, I have to offer you a deal whether you want it or not,” he said.