Parking scofflaws about to get boot in Seattle

Two city vans each carry a load of the U-shaped yellow devices. A scanning camera on the roof reads license-plate numbers of parked cars. Any vehicle with at least four overdue parking tickets may be booted.

When a plate number matches the city's "scofflaw" database of more than 20,000 vehicles, parking-enforcement officers will fasten the boot to a wheel an estimated 40 to 50 times a day.

To free their cars, drivers can call a service center in New Jersey to pay overdue fines plus a $145 boot fee by credit card, then receive a temporary code unlocking the boot. Or, they can go to an office to pay by cash, check or installment plans. Afterward, the 16-pound device must be returned to a city drop-off site.

Seattle is extending its "collection reduction event" two weeks, to July 15, for so-called scofflaws to pay their bills without collection fees and interest.