34 replies to this topic

[A trophy guy]

I am a member of a gym in Burton, Michigan (US) and I use this gym about once or twice a week. Every single time I arrive at this gym, I find at least one (usually several) car(s) parked in handicapped parking without any placard or designated license plate.

I don't hesitate at all to call 911 to report these cars, as I have been advised many times by police to do so (including the fiasco of my former gym kicking me out for blocking an illegally parked person refusing to move). So basically I call 911 every single time I come to this gym to report these people. Sometimes I notice the cars when I arrive, sometimes I notice them when I'm leaving; either way I just call and give the license plate number plus a description of the car. Today was no exception.

I arrived and pulled in next to a car without any placard or ID. I got out, double-checked to make sure the placard just wasn't in a hard-to-see spot, and then called 911 to report it. Then I went on inside to work out.

Well, about 2 hours later, when I am all done with my workout and showered and leaving the gym, I go out to my car to find this illegally parked car still out there, without any ticket or any sort of indication that the police had even been there. Now first, I was surprised that the car was even still there. This was an unusually long window of opportunity for the police to catch this person "in the act"; which is the only way to be able to write them a ticket (photos wont do it).

What good is it to call the police if it takes them literally hours to respond to such calls? These cars aren't parked permanently. At times, I will call the cops and they will get up to the gym within about a half hour or so-and 8/10 the offender is no longer in the handicapped parking spot even then, so the cop can't do anything and nothing happens at all. This time, the cops had hours to come write a ticket and still they couldn't make it.

I understand that real emergencies take precendence over such matters as this. But there has to be a better system devised to enforce the requirements for these parking spots, because it is nothing more than an exercise in futility to call the police and report an illegally parked vehicle.



*and this is not a high-crime, overburdened police force; it's is small-town Burton Police. Not exactly Detroit PD.

[edlee]

Surely you have noticed,, in your time in your chair,, that complaints made by SCIs about parking,, are not a very high priority for most police officers. Partly,, as you say,, because the cars are generally gone when they arrive,, and partly because,, well,, there aren't enough of us out there for them to care very much.
ed


Oh,,, and I didn't mean to call you Shirley.
ed

[A trophy guy]

 edlee, on 04 January 2012 - 04:29 AM, said:

Surely you have noticed,, in your time in your chair,, that complaints made by SCIs about parking,, are not a very high priority for most police officers. Partly,, as you say,, because the cars are generally gone when they arrive,, and partly because,, well,, there aren't enough of us out there for them to care very much.
ed


Oh,,, and I didn't mean to call you Shirley.
ed

There is no announcement of me and my wheelchair on the phone when I call the police. Granted, complaints about parking are not a very high priority for most police officers; but that is the case regardless of who makes the complaint. I have never even given any thought as to whether/how my disability would come into play in these types of situations.

Edited by A trophy guy, 04 January 2012 - 05:35 AM.

[StillFingers]

ATG, the usefulness of reporting is in the doing, if inaction by the authorities is their way (if not busy with other crimes) then it's their karma. As with most injustices, unless at least reported, they are nothing more than the sound a tree makes when no one is around to see it fall...!

Jerry

[A trophy guy]

 StillFingers, on 04 January 2012 - 06:02 AM, said:

ATG, the usefulness of reporting is in the doing, if inaction by the authorities is their way (if not busy with other crimes) then it's their karma. As with most injustices, unless at least reported, they are nothing more than the sound a tree makes when no one is around to see it fall...!

Jerry

Well it may be the right thing to do; it's definitely not a useful thing to do. Karma-shmarma.

[wheeliebear75]

This has been a problem in just about every municipality on the planet that has any designated disabled parking or other rules. Sadly I think it has a lot to do with the perceived notion that the only places disabled people would want to go is to their Dr's office or pharmacy (although we've had issues THERE TOO).

I find it ironic that cities complain about not having enough $ to balance their budgets. Seat-belt "click-it ticket" is usually around $150 give or take, speeding tickets vary depending on how fast over the speed limit the car was driving...but if I'd be rich "If I had $1 for every time I saw a car parked illegally in a handicapped space I'd be rich." then the city would richer by the tune of $250+ (not nearly high enough in MY opinion ) every time they caught one.

But as Still Fingers said...the authorities can't do anything about what they don't know is going on, now if the authorities don't do anything about it (which they rarely do) then the karma is on them. There are also a few web-sites out there that you can upload info of location, time, plate #, placard # if you suspect it is being miss-used, & vehicle description...& if you can include a photo of it with or without yourself & chair in it than all the better.

Eventually the disabled community did enough screaming to get the attention of the AB world & then got ADA into law. If we keep screaming about the parking & about fakers being such a big pain in our metal asses, we can get things to improve even further.

[Bethann]

I called a car in once. It was a BMW convertible parked in a handicap spot. I couldn't park because of this fancy spancy car and it irked me. Cop was there in 10 minutes and left a ticket and a big smile on my face.

Edited by Bethann, 04 January 2012 - 12:37 PM.

[wheelie182]

Really? you call 911? bit extreme if you ask me. I wouldn't eveb think of phoning 999 over here for such a reason, that line is reserved for emergencies.

Its quite sad, but I've learnt to just not care any more, theres too many people abusing them, and those particular people wont change. Hell, some car parks ive visited they even get several warnings before getting a ticket. The rules just arent strict enough, and to them thats just more of an opportunity to take the risk.

[HiltonP]

I have been actively involved with disabled parking facilities since 1979 (33 years!) and in that time I have seen and experienced just about everything that can be dished up.

15 or 20 years ago the biggest frustration was the number of able-bodied people abusing the facility through laziness, but in recent times my biggest frustration is the number of people with legitimate hangers/plackards but who really should never have been granted them. Doctors are signing approval for disabled parking applications for any Tom, Dick or Mildred and if they happen to be over the age of 65 it seems as if it is automatically granted.

The able-bods who abusing the system can at least be confronted (albeit at your own risk), but there is very little that can be done about a senior citizen, who has a legitimate hanger, granted to them by their friendly doctor thinks they are doing them a favour.

[mcferguson]

It's good that you call, the police will at least have a record of it. When it comes time to evaluate the crimes they handle, maybe the will allocate more resources or re-focus their efforts to the problem. I am surprised that they have told you to call 911 for this. Here, we have a police department number for non-emergency calls and I just have it programmed into my phone.

[rue2you]

What they should do is to deputize us as the parking police. We would take care of the parking problems and bring in more funds for the police department! Seriously, get acquainted with your local PD and call them - not 911. They may ignore more since it is non-emergency. Go in and introduce yourself and let them see why you need these spots. They are cops, AB cops. They don't have a clue as to whyit is urgent to us. Educate my friend! Put that spunk of yours to good use!

[DannyR]

Maybe it's time to go over their head. Call a city council member and complain...more than once if need be.Go to a city council meeting and complain. Maybe you can get that place to be a regular part of their patrol. The thing with council members is they always try to get your vote so let it be known to them where you live...talk with the one in your district.

[mcjane]

California just started enforcing this law and the fines generated at $250 a pop might make a dent in their budget! When other states see how much municipal funds are scored maybe they will follow suit. The people who ISSUE these permits should receive an even BIGGER fine. It doesn't have to be a doctor. In fact, Google proved there are a lot of phonies out there, and there could be additional fines for FRAUD. The FOOTBALL team actually forged signatures to get this preferred parking! I think the cops would enjoy cruising and ticketing the a**holes who would take a cripple spot. I would..lol

"My peeps have a saying...you take the spot, we break your spine."

[wheeliebear75]

Does THIS sum it all up?

(Um...not sure why it's so darn small...& I don't know how to make it "full size". )

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by wheeliebear75, 04 January 2012 - 07:40 PM.

[wheeliebear75]

http://www.google.co...=1t:429,r:1,s:0

OK well... It doesn't show it via this link but you CAN fallow the link & see the exact image at least.

Edited by wheeliebear75, 04 January 2012 - 07:46 PM.

[Tim13]

 rue2you, on 04 January 2012 - 04:41 PM, said:

What they should do is to deputize us as the parking police. We would take care of the parking problems and bring in more funds for the police department! Seriously, get acquainted with your local PD and call them - not 911. They may ignore more since it is non-emergency. Go in and introduce yourself and let them see why you need these spots. They are cops, AB cops. They don't have a clue as to whyit is urgent to us. Educate my friend! Put that spunk of yours to good use!

The Sheriffs Dept in my county has done just that...so far it's pretty successful. Lately, I've noticed when out shopping, there's always a parking space available. Even at Wal Mart.

Daytona Beach, FL- Scofflaws beware: The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office now has 34 sets of volunteer eyes on the lookout for motorists who illegally park in handicapped spaces and fire lanes. With an approximately 6-month trial period about to end, specially-trained Citizen Observer Program (C.O.P.) volunteers have started issuing parking citatations.

The Sheriff’s Office unveiled its new parking enforcement initiative in March to supplement the efforts of deputies and beef up enforcement of parking laws. A total of 34 of the Sheriff’s Office’s C.O.P. volunteers have undergone the parking enforcement training required by the state of Florida. Since the March launch, the volunteers have only been issuing warning notices -- 26 of them -- in order to phase in the program and give C.O.P. members time to get acclimated to their new duties. That all changes on Thursday, when the volunteers can start issuing citations to violators. “This is a matter of public safety,” said Sheriff Ben Johnson. “We need to keep fire lanes open and handicapped spaces available for those who truly need them, and we’re thankful that we have a group of dedicated volunteers to help strengthen our enforcement efforts.”


Maybe this will catch on everywhere.

[A trophy guy]

 wheelie182, on 04 January 2012 - 12:55 PM, said:

Really? you call 911? bit extreme if you ask me. I wouldn't eveb think of phoning 999 over here for such a reason, that line is reserved for emergencies.

Its quite sad, but I've learnt to just not care any more, theres too many people abusing them, and those particular people wont change. Hell, some car parks ive visited they even get several warnings before getting a ticket. The rules just arent strict enough, and to them thats just more of an opportunity to take the risk.

Well, like I said, calling 911 to report illegally parked cars is what police themselves recommend. So there is nothing "extreme" in my actions in the least bit. At least in Genesee County, 911 is the only number available to call to report such things.

[wheelie182]

Well I think thats kind of ridiculous.

[A trophy guy]

 wheelie182, on 04 January 2012 - 08:38 PM, said:

Well I think thats kind of ridiculous.

What do you think is ridiculous? The fact that there is no other means of reporting such infractions? If so, you and I are in agreement. Unfortunately, it is the way it is and I must work within the existing framework.

[rue2you]

 Tim13, on 04 January 2012 - 08:17 PM, said:

 rue2you, on 04 January 2012 - 04:41 PM, said:

What they should do is to deputize us as the parking police. We would take care of the parking problems and bring in more funds for the police department! Seriously, get acquainted with your local PD and call them - not 911. They may ignore more since it is non-emergency. Go in and introduce yourself and let them see why you need these spots. They are cops, AB cops. They don't have a clue as to whyit is urgent to us. Educate my friend! Put that spunk of yours to good use!

The Sheriffs Dept in my county has done just that...so far it's pretty successful. Lately, I've noticed when out shopping, there's always a parking space available. Even at Wal Mart.

Daytona Beach, FL- Scofflaws beware: The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office now has 34 sets of volunteer eyes on the lookout for motorists who illegally park in handicapped spaces and fire lanes. With an approximately 6-month trial period about to end, specially-trained Citizen Observer Program (C.O.P.) volunteers have started issuing parking citatations.

The Sheriff’s Office unveiled its new parking enforcement initiative in March to supplement the efforts of deputies and beef up enforcement of parking laws. A total of 34 of the Sheriff’s Office’s C.O.P. volunteers have undergone the parking enforcement training required by the state of Florida. Since the March launch, the volunteers have only been issuing warning notices -- 26 of them -- in order to phase in the program and give C.O.P. members time to get acclimated to their new duties. That all changes on Thursday, when the volunteers can start issuing citations to violators. “This is a matter of public safety,” said Sheriff Ben Johnson. “We need to keep fire lanes open and handicapped spaces available for those who truly need them, and we’re thankful that we have a group of dedicated volunteers to help strengthen our enforcement efforts.”


Maybe this will catch on everywhere.

I just made up this idea but I am heading to my own local office to see if we can do this!! Thank you for telling me this!

[sherbs]

ATG

999 in the UK is for emergencies only, ie, ambulance, fire brigade, or police, the police in the UK wouldn't take kindly to us calling them just because someone has parked in a disabled bay by someone who has not got a blue badge (our equivalent to the USA parking placard.) i think they may just say that there is nothing they could do, as we have no enforcements over here, its just up to people to be polite and courteous and not to park in disabled bays, mores the pity, i wish the disabled bays were patrolled, we have no law to say that these thoughtless people are acting in a criminal way.

[wheelie182]

 A trophy guy, on 04 January 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

 wheelie182, on 04 January 2012 - 08:38 PM, said:

Well I think thats kind of ridiculous.

What do you think is ridiculous? The fact that there is no other means of reporting such infractions? If so, you and I are in agreement. Unfortunately, it is the way it is and I must work within the existing framework.

I think its ridiculous that you're using the emergency line to report illegal parking.

Yes, people abusing parking bays annoys me greatly too, but come on, dont you think you should be leaving those lines free for people with real emergencies?

I guess things are just different over there. I cant imagine how though.

[mcferguson]

 Tim13, on 04 January 2012 - 08:17 PM, said:

 rue2you, on 04 January 2012 - 04:41 PM, said:

What they should do is to deputize us as the parking police. We would take care of the parking problems and bring in more funds for the police department! Seriously, get acquainted with your local PD and call them - not 911. They may ignore more since it is non-emergency. Go in and introduce yourself and let them see why you need these spots. They are cops, AB cops. They don't have a clue as to whyit is urgent to us. Educate my friend! Put that spunk of yours to good use!

The Sheriffs Dept in my county has done just that...so far it's pretty successful. Lately, I've noticed when out shopping, there's always a parking space available. Even at Wal Mart.

Daytona Beach, FL- Scofflaws beware: The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office now has 34 sets of volunteer eyes on the lookout for motorists who illegally park in handicapped spaces and fire lanes. With an approximately 6-month trial period about to end, specially-trained Citizen Observer Program (C.O.P.) volunteers have started issuing parking citatations.

The Sheriff’s Office unveiled its new parking enforcement initiative in March to supplement the efforts of deputies and beef up enforcement of parking laws. A total of 34 of the Sheriff’s Office’s C.O.P. volunteers have undergone the parking enforcement training required by the state of Florida. Since the March launch, the volunteers have only been issuing warning notices -- 26 of them -- in order to phase in the program and give C.O.P. members time to get acclimated to their new duties. That all changes on Thursday, when the volunteers can start issuing citations to violators. “This is a matter of public safety,” said Sheriff Ben Johnson. “We need to keep fire lanes open and handicapped spaces available for those who truly need them, and we’re thankful that we have a group of dedicated volunteers to help strengthen our enforcement efforts.”


Maybe this will catch on everywhere.

This is awesome!

[A trophy guy]

 wheelie182, on 04 January 2012 - 09:30 PM, said:

 A trophy guy, on 04 January 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

 wheelie182, on 04 January 2012 - 08:38 PM, said:

Well I think thats kind of ridiculous.

What do you think is ridiculous? The fact that there is no other means of reporting such infractions? If so, you and I are in agreement. Unfortunately, it is the way it is and I must work within the existing framework.

I think its ridiculous that you're using the emergency line to report illegal parking.

Yes, people abusing parking bays annoys me greatly too, but come on, dont you think you should be leaving those lines free for people with real emergencies?

I guess things are just different over there. I cant imagine how though.

Hmm...I feel like I'm talking to a table.

[wheelie182]

Yes, I know you said you were advised to do so.

[Trinity]

To be far, over here if you phoned an emergency line to report illegally parked cars you would be asked to stop wasting police time and tying up an emergency line unless the car was causing a dangerous obstruction. We have non emergency lines for contacting the police which in this circumstance seem far more appropriate and far more likely to get a favourable response, are you sure there is no other way to contact the police except for dialling 911? (and yes, I know you said that you were advised to)

[A trophy guy]

 Trinity, on 04 January 2012 - 10:04 PM, said:

To be far, over here if you phoned an emergency line to report illegally parked cars you would be asked to stop wasting police time and tying up an emergency line unless the car was causing a dangerous obstruction. We have non emergency lines for contacting the police which in this circumstance seem far more appropriate and far more likely to get a favourable response, are you sure there is no other way to contact the police except for dialling 911? (and yes, I know you said that you were advised to)

I have never been received in any other way by the police staff answering the call to 911 than polite and respectful. It is the appropriate course of action where I live. Numerous police, up to and including the Police Chief of the Flint Police (which is where I had my little gym-revocation fiasco), inform me of this policy. There is no other number I am aware of.

 rue2you, on 04 January 2012 - 04:41 PM, said:

What they should do is to deputize us as the parking police. We would take care of the parking problems and bring in more funds for the police department! Seriously, get acquainted with your local PD and call them - not 911. They may ignore more since it is non-emergency. Go in and introduce yourself and let them see why you need these spots. They are cops, AB cops. They don't have a clue as to whyit is urgent to us. Educate my friend! Put that spunk of yours to good use!

This idea has been proposed and has been in the "planning" stages by the Genesee County Sheriff's Dept for a couple of years now. It just hasn't had the local funding to be able to take off. Believe me, I have been salivating at the notion of doing this. I am all for it. And I have been on the heels of the Sheriff's Dept, too; trying to get them started with this. But it hasn't happened yet.

[quadinva]

 A trophy guy, on 05 January 2012 - 01:38 AM, said:

This idea has been proposed and has been in the "planning" stages by the Genesee County Sheriff's Dept for a couple of years now. It just hasn't had the local funding to be able to take off. Believe me, I have been salivating at the notion of doing this. I am all for it. And I have been on the heels of the Sheriff's Dept, too; trying to get them started with this. But it hasn't happened yet.

Funding? In a land where the gov't will spend money on anything, how can Genessee Co. not afford a volunteer program that generates revenue? I imaginie most localities would lack volunteers, but funding?

[A trophy guy]

Just today, I had to have the gym call a tow truck because a car was parked (illegally, duh) in between my parking space and the next handicap space next to me, essentially blocking me out of my car and preventing me from being able to leave (and I was in a hurry).

The gym tried to find the person by announcing the description of the car over the PA, and I did call the cops, but I had to go and I couldn't wait for hours in hopes that either the owner or the cops came. So we had to tow it, and this ended up taking an extra hour out of my day, and it made me run late to pick up my Dad-who is having car trouble.

 quadinva, on 05 January 2012 - 02:23 AM, said:

 A trophy guy, on 05 January 2012 - 01:38 AM, said:

This idea has been proposed and has been in the "planning" stages by the Genesee County Sheriff's Dept for a couple of years now. It just hasn't had the local funding to be able to take off. Believe me, I have been salivating at the notion of doing this. I am all for it. And I have been on the heels of the Sheriff's Dept, too; trying to get them started with this. But it hasn't happened yet.

Funding? In a land where the gov't will spend money on anything, how can Genessee Co. not afford a volunteer program that generates revenue? I imaginie most localities would lack volunteers, but funding?

That's the BS. The only costs I can imagine would be extremely minimal, and would amount to like IDs, proper displays on the cars, and perhaps a bare-bones training/familiarity session. But Genesee County is home to Flint, MI. If you aren't familiar with Flint, just google it. Not exactly a thriving metropolis.

[quadinva]

From the county website: "If you need to reach a police officer in an EMERGENCY in Genesee County call 911. If you wish to speak to an officer in your jurisdiction and it is not an emergency, please call 810-257-3422."

Since the officer's method doesn't seem to be working, try that number next time, maybe you'll get a better result.

Total cost to get it up and running couldnt be more than a couple thousand bucks, if that. A class for volunteers, a couple ticket pads, and boom your off and running and turning a profit in a day of ATG writing tickets. And yeah I hear Flint sucks, that one of the very few opinions of Michael Moore that I believe