DEARBORN — The city of Dearborn, along with several surrounding cities in Wayne County had declared a snow emergency on the evening of Wednesday December 26th that lasted until 3:00 p.m. the following day. During the course of the snow emergency, the Dearborn Police Department had issued 580 tickets for improper parking in the cities neighborhood streets, leading many disgruntled residents to question whether the city had warned residents in time. 

When a snow emergency is declared, residents are expected to remove their vehicles off the roads in order to allow plowing trucks to pass through without facing any problems, according to the city ordinance . Of the 580 citations that were written, 378 of them were from east Dearborn, compared to only 202 in west Dearborn. 

Some residents complained online that it was unfair that citations were handed out to some east Dearborn residents who couldn’t find space to park their cars. Some households own up to 3-4 vehicles, making it difficult to park them in their driveways and garage.  

Residents were however warned through the Nixle system used by the police department, which alerts residents through texts. Mary Laundroche, the Director of the Department of Public Information says if residents run out of space in their driveway and garage, then they should ask a neighbor if they can park their vehicle on their property. Residents who want to be warned of future snow emergency’s can sign up immediately with the city’s Nixle system at www.nixle.com.