Effort aims to catch shoppers abusing disability parking

(CHICAGO) The Illinois Secretary of State’s office plans a statewide sting operation to catch those who illegally park in disabled spots at shopping malls.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White plans to announce the tenth-annual effort on Tuesday in Chicago ahead of the Black Friday shopping rush the day after Thanksgiving. Secretary of State police will conduct compliance checks at malls across Illinois during the holiday season.

Fines for parking in a spot reserved for those with disabilities without a placard or special license plate is up to $350. The fine for illegally using a placard or disability license plate is $600 and possible six-month driver’s license suspension.

There are more than 630,000 disability placards and nearly 66,000 disability licenses in use in Illinois.