By Randy Tucker
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Beginning today, drivers who have been cited in Hamilton County for minor infractions but failed to pay the fine will be given a chance to wipe their slates clean and help clear backlogs of minor cases.

HOW TO DO IT

• Payments can be made 24 hours a day in Room 112 of the Hamilton County Justice Center at 314 E. Ninth St. in Cincinnati. • Payments can be made by cash, check, credit card or money order. • Payments may also be made by mail, if postmarked on or before Dec. 11. • The Hamilton County Clerk of Courts can use your Social Security number to determine if you have any outstanding offenses that are eligible for the program.

"Operation Clean Slate'' - a collaboration between Hamilton County Municipal Courts and Cincinnati police - will target people who received parking and traffic tickets, as well as other misdemeanor citations, prior to March 31.

Those eligible can pay outstanding tickets and fines without the late fees and other surcharges that may accompany them. And they will not be required to appear in court, unless they choose to fight the charges.

If the county clerk of courts is unable to determine the amount of the fine when the citation was originally issued, the payout to clear the ticket will be $100.

Payment in full will automatically eliminate any outstanding warrants related to the offenses.

The program, which will run through Dec. 11, includes most traffic, parking and minor misdemeanor criminal charges.

It excludes felonies, DUIs, domestic violence charges and cases with mandatory court appearances.

The program has been tried twice before, in 1993 and 1994. Then, the program was mostly aimed at traffic violators. People were allowed to turn themselves in and were released after paying the initial fines they owed.

Clerk of Courts Jim Cissell said his office collected $192,026 in fees and cleared 5,792 delinquent cases in those efforts.