Sec. 42-14. - Violations of traffic or parking regulations.

(a)

Appearance, admission of guilt and payment of fine.

(1)

Whenever a person shall be charged with a violation of an ordinance of the city relative to traffic or to parking, the jurisdiction and cognizance of which is in the municipal court, and such person is notified in writing by a police officer to appear on a day and date and hour stated in such notice to answer such charge before the municipal court having jurisdiction thereof, such person, instead of personally appearing in court, may, in person or by one duly authorized in writing, appear at the city municipal court, admit the truth of such charge, and pay to the city municipal court such fine as the board of public safety or the city council may from time to time establish for such violation, not to exceed in any case the maximum fine imposed by law; provided, however, that such appearance, admission and payment shall be made at the city municipal court within 14 days of such notification, and failure to appear within such time shall be deemed a waiver of the right to dispose of such charge without personal appearance in the municipal court. Failure to dispose of any parking violation within 14 days of such notification either by mail or by personal appearance as set forth herein shall result in a doubling of the fine for the specific violation as set by ordinance or by the board of public safety. Failure to dispose of any parking violation within 28 days of such notification either by personal appearance or by mail as set forth herein shall result in a tripling of the fine for the specific violation as set by ordinance by the board of public safety. These doubling and tripling provisions shall not apply to any such person who shall timely deny any violation as provided by law.

(2)

The payment of the fine to the city municipal court shall act as a final disposition of such charge and such proceedings shall not be deemed criminal. The notice above provided shall indicate the offense charged and shall contain such information as will enable the person charged to take advantage of the provisions of this section.

(3)

Notwithstanding the foregoing, whenever a person shall be charged with a violation of article IV of chapter 76, such person may pay such fine by mail in accordance with the provisions established by ordinance for payment of nonmoving traffic violations by mail.

(b)

Postmark on fines paid by mail. Fines paid by mail must be deposited in a depository maintained by the United States Postal Service for the collection of mails not more than seven days from the date of the offense, and the postage cancellation shall be prima facie evidence of the time of deposit.

(c)

Address of fines paid by mail. Mail containing payments of fines shall be addressed to the Warwick Municipal Court, Warwick, Rhode Island.

(d)

Medium of payment for fines paid by mail. When the mail is used for the payment of a fine, such fine may be paid in cash, by check or by money order. Checks or money orders shall be made payable to the city. A penalty of not less than $15.00 shall be added for attempted payment by a check written against insufficient funds.

(e)

Disposition of fines; records; failure of offender to dispose of charge. The city municipal court is hereby authorized to receive the fine directly from any person charged with a violation of an ordinance of the city relating to traffic, and any such money so received and collected shall be turned over by the municipal court to the finance director. All such charges, records and payments shall be entered forthwith by the municipal court, and the books of such municipal court containing records of such violations, their dispositions, and money received as fines therefrom shall be audited not less than once a year by the finance director. In the event such offender refuses or neglects to dispose of such charge within 14 days of notification thereof, then he/she shall be before the municipal court of the city for trial and for such disposition of such case as such court may decide to be just and proper.

(Code 1971, §§ 22-33—22-37)

Cross reference— Traffic, ch. 76.