Bounty ticket racket.
A New York City program that allows citizens to report commercial trucks idling for more than three minutes is facing calls for reform after a few individuals earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in bounties. These “bounty hunters” receive 25-50% of the collected fines, which range from $350 to $2,000 per violation.
Queens City Councilman James Gennaro has signaled his intent to overhaul the system, stating that the program was never intended to become a full-time job for people. While the specifics of the reform have not been detailed, the councilman’s goal is to eliminate the financial incentive that has created what he calls “six-figure bounty hunters.”