UPDATE: Parking Tickets Issued in 2010 Down by More Than 1,300

More than 1,300 fewer tickets were issued in 2010 compared with 2009, according to reports released by the the  and the Lakewood Police Department.

In 2010, 9,864 parking tickets were issued in the city, compared with 11,178 in 2009.

That also meant a slight decline in revenue generated by parking tickets — to the tune of $3,069.

However, $33,535 of the fines from 2010 still have not been paid.

In August 2010, the procedure for ticket enforcement was changed by Lakewood City Council, making collection of parking fines the responsibility of the .

Unlike other cases handled by the court, parking ticket fines are set by Lakewood City Council — Lakewood Municipal Court acts “as a collection agency” for the city and provided a forum for disputed parking tickets.

The police department has a contract with Data Ticket Inc. — based in Newport Beach, CA — to process and collect fees for parking violations. Along with the change, in August 2010, parking enforcement officers began issuing parking violations with electronic ticket writers.

"Our vendor collected fines that were overdue prior to our taking over parking tickets," said Lakewood Police Chief Timothy Malley. "They have so far collected $123,523 in outstanding fines with $273,150 there are still pursuing."

The court broke down the offenses based on police-issued tickets and tickets issued at a meter. From January to July, 3,486 were police-issued tickets and 2,573 were tickets issued at the meter.

From Aug. 1 through Dec. 31, the police department reported that officers issued 2,276 tickets and 1,529 were issued by the city's parking enforcement division.

In 2009, 6,744 tickets were issued by police officers and 4,434 were meter tickets.

After an initial learning period, the collection of fines from citations has improved and will continue to be an asset in the future," Malley said in a statement. "The parking enforcement officers have embraced the new technology of electronic ticket writers and are more efficient in the performance of their duties."