The Secretary of State is cracking down on the misuse of disability parking placards. (Photo used under Creative Commons from Flickr user Pkirsch)

By The Associated Press

CHICAGO - Secretary of State Jesse White has ordered a new round of sting operations to catch drivers misusing disability parking placards at Chicago-area malls over the busy shopping weekend.

The operation begins on Black Friday and will continue through Sunday at locations including Water Tower Place on Chicago's Magnificent Mile.

Secretary of state's police will be stationed at shopping malls to be sure those parking in disability spots are doing so legally.

Used properly, the person who received the placard must be in the vehicle and have gotten in and out of the vehicle when it was parked.

There's a $500 fine for illegally using a placard or disability license plates.

Offenders can also have their licenses suspended. Fines for wrongly parking in a disability space can go up to $350.