Remember my post a few weeks ago about Handicapped enforcement in North Carolina and that I suggested they hire handicapped people to enforce the law. Read it here. Well, it seems that at least one city has already done just that.
Capitola, CA, according to the Contra Costa Times, has three parking enforcement officers in wheel chairs. They write half a million dollars a year in tickets. It also seems that their wheel chairs don’t sheild them from abuse from the local citizenry.
People have thrown pizza
at them and spit on the ground in front of their wheelchairs. They’ve
also been called names like "Nazi police.""You’ve got to have thick skin to be in this job," said Ben Irao, one
of the enforcers. "We try to take a diplomatic approach to everything,
but it doesn’t always work out that way.""Some people think we should be sitting at home and collecting
welfare," Humberto Morales said. "They do a double-take when they see
us, like, ‘Are you for real?"’
So, read PT Blog and get the facts, even when I don’t know what the facts are. This just seems reasonable. These folks certainly are capable, hard working, and have a built in thick skin. They not only write tickets for meter and over stay violations, but also keep a very sharp eye out for Handicap Placard violations.
I still think, however, that they should be given the power to give "warnings." Check the post above.
JVH
