by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The official legal designation is “Disabled Parking Auxiliary Officer,” but when they hit the streets in about a month, they’ll be more commonly known as “The Parking Posse.”
According to City Human Services Planner Katie Metz, the concept is not new, but the City has decided to revive it in order to better enforce the laws governing parking in restricted spaces. Better enforcement will result in more tickets, and based on how the $250 fine for the offense is distributed, both Jacksonville’s disabled community and police officers and firefighters will benefit.
“Seventy percent of the fines collected go into the City’s Handicap Parking Trust Fund,” said Metz. “Those funds are used to provide wheelchair ramps and smoke detectors to disabled people who could not otherwise afford them.
“Some of the funds are used for scholarships for disabled students. The other 30 percent is contributed to the Police & Fire Pension Fund, which offsets contributions from the City’s general fund,” continued Metz, who added that “not one penny of the taxpayers’ money will be used for the auxiliary officers.”
With more than 12,000 parking spaces designated for use by people with Disabled Persons Parking Permits scattered across more than 850 square miles of Duval County, enforcing the law is a big job. For the past 13 years, Disabled Parking Enforcement Specialist Bobby Thigpen has been a lone ranger of sorts, the only person whose primary focus is making sure only those who are authorized to use the parking spaces are the ones who do.
“The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Community Service Officers can write tickets for disabled parking offenses any time, but they don’t have the time to pay attention to parking violations,” said Metz.
To fill the void and provide what Thigpen said will truly be a “force multiplier,” the City’s Military Affairs, Veterans and Disabled Services Division is in the process of recruiting and training the first class of parking posse members.
It’s a multi-phased process including an initial interview, a thorough background check and a 40-hour course taught by a certified instructor from the JSO. Upon graduation, the volunteers will be certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The training won’t end there, said Thigpen. “Then it will be time for me to teach them how to talk to the people. Most of the people the volunteers will interact with concerning disabled parking are disabled people, and many are sensitive about their disability,” he said. “I’ll also be taking them for a day in traffic court so the newly certified volunteers can see how that process works.”
Metz said so far, something the more than 50 applicants have in common is they are either disabled themselves or they have a connection with someone who is disabled.
“They are all very dedicated people,” she said. “And they all understand that disabled people’s money is just as green as anybody else’s, they just have to be able to park close enough to get in the door.”
The newly minted Disabled Parking Auxiliary Officers will do much more than write tickets (or warning citations) for parking in designated zones without a permit displayed on the rearview mirror or on the license plate.
“Disabled parking Permits are issued to individuals. The determining factor is use of the permit has to benefit the disabled person it was issued to,” said Thigpen, who then offered some examples of unlawful use of a permit.
“If you leave your 85-year-old grandmother sitting in the car in a disabled parking space while you go into a store, that’s a violation,” he said. “If your spouse was issued a permit and they have passed away, you can’t continue to use that permit. You can’t use your parent’s or a friend’s permit. Often, doctors will approve permits then withdraw that approval when the patient recovers, but people will continue to use the permit. You can’t do that.”
Another factor that can make the all-volunteer force effective is unlike Thigpen, who goes on duty each day in a uniform with a badge and a two-way radio, the parking posse will be undercover — that is, they will perform their duties as part of their usual daily activities like going shopping. The difference is they will know the law, they’ll know how to spot violations and they will be authorized to issue citations.
“They’ll be our stealth force,” said Metz.
The first training class will be held later this month. To volunteer or for more information, call 630-4940 or (telecommunication device for the deaf) 630-4933.
Disabled parking regulations:
• Park in a handicap zone only if you have a valid handicap placard registered in your name.
• A handicap placard allows free parking on a meter for up to four hours.
• A DV (Disabled Veteran) tag allows free parking on a meter for up to eight hours.
• A handicap placard allows parking in a handicap space (nonmetered) all day.
• Even if the permitted disabled person is with you, if you are not disabled and are driving for them, you may only occupy the handicap space for 30 minutes to load or unload.
• Don’t park in the striped area next to a handicap space. This space is for vehicles with wheelchair lifts. You will receive a citation for parking there even if you have a valid handicap placard.
• Don’t block a handicap ramp.
• Don’t use someone else’s handicap placard. Even if you are disabled, you will receive a citation. If you are disabled enough to warrant a placard, contact your doctor so you may apply for your own placard.
• Don’t use an expired handicap placard. It is considered the same as not having one.
• Don’t occupy a handicap space for more than the 30 minutes allowed for loading or unloading if you are not disabled, even if you are transporting a disabled person and using their permit.
Source: City of Jacksonville
Photo by Max Marbut