Central Students Warned, Not Cited: Hinsdale Cops

HINSDALE, IL – More than a dozen Hinsdale Central High School students were warned, not cited, about parking on a local street, a police official said Thursday.

"The citations and warnings come in the same envelope," Deputy Police Chief Thomas Lillie said in an email to Patch. "At the bottom of the notice, they’ll see that they owe $0.00 and that warning for the violation is printed at the top."

The issue was on Washington Circle last Thursday. Hinsdale has a village-wide ordinance barring parking on residential streets from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., Lillie said.

The signs, Lillie said, are not posted on every street. But if the village receives specific complaints, it will post signs in the areas in question to reinforce the village ordinance, he said.

"Warnings are used for education," Lillie said. "We wouldn’t expect a high school student to know a village-wide parking ordinance and the exceptions, the same way a homeowner would. Hopefully, the warning prompted an inquiry of the restrictions."

Lillie said temporary signs have been posted on Washington Circle, with citations being the next step, he said.

At Tuesday's Village Board meeting, a Hinsdale Central junior reported that he and a dozen of his classmates got parking tickets. He said they were upset because the street had no signs warning them about the parking prohibition.

Patch wrote an account of the discussion in response to the student's complaint.