subject: What Is A Parking Boot? [print this page] You've probably seen cars parked on the streets that had bright yellow colored clamps covering their wheels. Those are known as the infamous wheel clamps, which are also known as wheel boots or Denver Boots. The wheel boot is a device used to immobilize the vehicle by preventing the wheel to turn, thereby pinning the car to the ground. It is a tool used by parking law enforcement agents to track down illegally parked cars: the only way to remove the device is to pay the fine and wait for the parking agent to release the wheel. It was first used in the 1950's to reduce the cost of street law enforcement, which then required an expensive towing system to seize the cars of those who were illegally parked. Not only was the towing service expensive for every parking felony, but the cars were not secure even when stored at the pound while awaiting the retrieval by their owners. Some cars were stolen from the pound, and the citizens sued the municipalities for the theft and the surveillance negligence of their car.
The car boot was thus a newer and cheaper way of keeping felons from leaving without paying their fines. According to the Consumer Price Index, from the Handbook of Labor Statistics, the police department of Denver used the parking boot for the first time in January 1955 and collected over US$156,164 in 2012 dollars in its first month of use. The successful device kept the name of the city where it was first used, which is why it is sometimes called the Denver boot. The wheel boot is also used to keep a prosecuted person from escaping, or simply to make sure that a defunct car won't be driven. The clamp used to be made of cast steel, but was later made out of aluminum based alloy.
There are also versions of the product available on the market that may be purchased at hardware stores by truck owners or expensive car owner to simply prevent their motorized vehicle from being stolen or moved (when it is parked on a steep hill or unstable, uneven surface, for example). These devices are known as trailer wheel locks. When used as an anti-theft device, the trailer locks may be freely installed and removed with a key by the owner. The wheel lock also prevents wheel thefts. While a single wheel can prevent the theft of a vehicle, it is possible to install locks on all wheels of a vehicle for prevention.
