Jesse White - Illinois Secretary of State

Georgia Garvey, Sally S. Ho

A program that allows citizens to file anonymous complaints on the Illinois secretary of state's Web site about people misusing parking reserved for the disabled has netted more than 100 tips since it launched in mid-June.

One recent report focused on a high school athlete who allegedly continued to use a disability parking placard after recovering from a knee injury, recounted Bill Bogdan of the secretary of state's office.

"He's back on the baseball team and hit a three-run homer for them in the game on Sunday," Bogdan said, describing the complaint. "If you don't believe us, check out the local newspaper."

The program, on cyberdriveillinois.com, had brought in 114 complaints that led to eight investigations as of last week, Bogdan said.

In one complaint, a Lyons woman with a disabled placard was spotted hauling an air conditioner to her car.

"The question becomes, how is she disabled enough?" Bogdan said.

The online complaint form requests the parking placard number, a license plate or disabilities license plate number, and the date, time and location of the violation.

Illinois currently has 95,000 disabilities license plates and 575,000 permanent disability placards, Bogdan said.

Misuse of disability license plates or placards can result in a $500 fine and a driver's license suspension.

The scofflaw's placard or plates can also be revoked, which recently happened to a Rolling Meadows woman caught using the placard of her mother, who had died years earlier.

Said Bogdan: "It took us a little bit, but we were able to catch her."