[Adopted 6-28-1965 (Ch. 13, Art. III, Div.
2, of the 1985 Code of Ordinances)]
[Amended 2-25-1986]
Any person charged with the violation of any of the ordinances of the Town relating to parking on the public highways and notified in writing by a police officer of the Town to appear on a day and an hour stated in such notice to answer to such charge before the District Court of the Seventh Judicial District instead of personally appearing in Court may, in person or by someone duly authorized by him in writing, appear at the Smithfield Police Station within seven days of the violation, admit the truth of said charge and pay to the officer in charge of said Police Station such parking fine as provided in Article IV, Schedule of Penalties, § 340-15A, of this chapter; provided, however, that all persons charged with a violation may pay said fine by sending the tag and the amount of said violation within seven days from said violation, by mail, postage prepaid, addressed to Chief of Police, Smithfield Police Department, 64 Farnum Pike, Esmond, Rhode Island 02917. Failure to appear or mail said fine within said time limit shall be deemed a waiver of the right to dispose of such charge without personal appearance in the district court. The payment of the fine in the manner herein provided shall operate as a final disposition of such charge and such proceedings shall not be deemed to be of a criminal nature. The right to dispose of such a charge without a personal appearance in court may not be exercised by any person who in any consecutive period of 12 months next proceeding such charge has been three times in the aggregate adjudged guilty by such court, or has admitted the truth of the charges made against him in violating any pertinent parts of the ordinances of the Town relating to parking.
The notice provided for in § 340-1 shall indicate the offense charged, the schedule of fines for such violation, the time within which the privilege of paying such fine either by mail or at the Police Station may be exercised, the place to which such fine may be mailed and such other information as will enable the person charged to take advantage of the provisions of this article. Said notice shall be affixed to the motor vehicle which is the subject of the violation.
When the mail is used for payment of a fine
under this article, the payment may be in cash or by check or by money
order and where payment is attempted with a check drawn against insufficient
funds an additional payment not to exceed $10 may be imposed against
the violator. When payment is by cash, it shall be at the risk of
the sender, and the record of the Police Department shall be conclusive
as to the receipt of the same arid the amount thereof in absence of
written evidence to the contrary.
