...

[tx77057]

...

[bubbagump]

I met a young guy who got a citation for using his grandma's placard once.

If I'm not mistaken, there is a number on the placard you can run in the system.

I know "retired" used to love giving handi-cap cites...he'll probably chime in and give you the details...

EDIT: I think the guy told me the fine was 700 dollars...

[Super Spy]

I have a close friend that's a double amputee....I take a dim view of the able bodied using Disabled Parking spots. Will go out of my way to point it out to any LE nearby I find. Those spots exist for good reason. Spend a day with someone that really needs one and you'll understand. I normally get pretty frustrated when we can't find one for him to use, then see some perfectly healthy person with an expensive car drive out of one. This is even more annoying than tools going slow in the fast lane.

[eltee]

Misuse of a Handicap Placard was one of my favorite parking tickets. Yes, the placards are issued to a PERSON, not a vehicle. The number on the placard can be "run" to determine who it was issued to. Additionally, the person it is issued to is given a small document from DMV that loosely resembles a registration certificate, and it bears the name of the bondafide placard owner. It is sent with the placard and instructs the recipient to keep the certificate with them in the car whenever the placard is being used.

I actually helped some meter maids work a sting at a location where abuse was rampant, but for the most part I would determine if the placard belonged to the person driving the car. If not, that person got the ticket for parking in a handicapped zone, and additional an charge on the cite for misuse of a parking placard and I was authorized at that point to seize the placard. Yes, I did get a slight buzz from doing this to yuppies, me generation types, etc. who all did a song and dance about it was grandma's or dad's placard, yadayada. If the driver's attitude was just overbearing or too nasty, sometimes a mechanical violation would be found.

Bear in mind that just because a person is young, healthy looking and has no visible physical or age disabilities doesn't preclude his/her legitimate use of a placard. Some may have injuries or disabilities that are not obvious, such as a severe heart condition, arthritus, etc.

Getting caught was about 700+ dollars in fines plus loss of the placard. Interestingly, I NEVER got a protest on one of those, even if the contact involved alot of friction and objection. Some of these folks essentially counted on using grandma's placard as a park anywhere pass.

[RudyN]

I am eligible for a Placard and have one due to a missing leg and back surgery, however I don't need to use it all of the time and when I feel ok I will park in a normal spot. I don't want to misuse the privilege as I know some people need it a lot more than I do.

[Fjold]

There was a story on Yahoo a while back that over 50% of the handicapped placards used in San Francisco (because of the limited and expensive parking) were being used by people who the placards were not issued to.

[retired]

I met a young guy who got a citation for using his grandma's placard once.

If I'm not mistaken, there is a number on the placard you can run in the system.

I know "retired" used to love giving handi-cap cites...he'll probably chime in and give you the details...

I loved it so much, I wish the dept. had given me a case of them when I retired.

eltee covered it very well; especially the part about someone young not having any apparent medical disability.

When I left the field in 1997, the fine was $325 for parking in the actual space and $260 for blocking access (parking either on the line or over it while parked in the space next to a disabled one or parking on the blue diagonal lines). I don't have any idea what it is now.

Re the parking on the diagonal blue lines: I have cited people who parked there even if they have a placard/plate. That space is to allow the disabled, especially those with wheelchairs, accessibility.

I once cited a guy at the local racquetball club in D. Bar where I was a member. There was only one disabled space and people were always parking there because the lot was small.

After citing, I went inside to find out who owned the car to make them move it. Once I met him, I decided to have the Lt. void it. Turns out there was a disabled tournament being held and the driver was a double leg amputee and in a wheelchair. He had a placard, he just forgot to put it up.

I apologized and told him I'd have it voided (I certainly didn't want to go to court on that one, tho technically he was in violation). My Lt. voided it after screwing with me a bit.

[ke6guj]

posted this one in another thread.

Good. I hate those that park in a handicapped spot without a placard or plate.

Back in the day when I worked retail, I saw this young guy pull up into a handicpped stall in an otherwise empty parking lot and stroll into the store. A couple minutes later he comes tearing past me with a couple employees in tow. Guy gets caught with some merchandise under his shirt. Cops are called and they put the cuffs on him and load him in the back of the patrol car. Just before the cop left, I said, "Oh officer, that car in the handicapped spot is his as well and he doesn't have a placard that I can see". So the cop went over there and wrote him a ticket for that before he took him to jail

And retired's comment reminded me of another one.

My aunt and uncle went shopping a couple weeks ago and parked in a handicapped spot. My aunt hopped out of the passenger seat of the Excursion and there was a person in a car behind them. The lady started giving her the evil eye when it appeared that my Aunt (around 40 or so) was not handicapped. Then my uncle (also around 40) hopped out of the drivers seat. The lady was really getting pissed at this point. So my uncle reached down and lifted his pant leg, showing her his artificial leg. OOPS, lady drove away quick at that point.

[five.five-six]

some of you may remember the nutjob that lives up stairs from me, the one I have a perminant restraining order against. I have seen him go out and take the plackard from his mothers car and put it in his to avoid a street sweeping ticket... it just rubs me the wrong way

I mean, how much effort is it to walk a few yards or move a car for the street sweeper, I mean, I hate street sweeping ticket as much as the next guy, probably more as I work grave yard.... but..geze

[MFortie]

Retired's story reminded me of my younger days: in 1980 I tore my right ACL while snow skiing. At the time I didn't have any insurance but an old neighbor was an orthopaedic surgeon and he drained and immobilized the knee (brace) and put me on crutches. A day or two later I went to the Post Office in my beat up old station wagon (learning how to drive with my left foot -- which I got pretty darn good at) and parked in the disabled spot. No sooner did I pull in when a San Diego PD patrol car pulls in behind me and blocks me in; out pops this young, female officer with a smirk on her face.
She saunters over as I pull myself out of the car, dragging my braced leg out behind me; I reached in and retrieved my crutches and turned to face her -- the look on her face was almost priceless; she thought she had an easy score, and here I am hobbling about on crutches.

Guess she thought the better of it and didn't bother ticketing me...

I did end up getting a placard for the months I was healing; back in those days they weren't issued with the ID card though.

BTW, my mother suffered from Multiple Sclerosis from the late 60's on and was wheel chair bound by the late 70's, so I have lots of experience dealing with the disabled parking issue every time I took her somewhere -- happens to be my pet driving peeve too!

[9mmepiphany]

that was also one of my pet peeves

when i worked at a fixed post...courthouse...we would always run the placard for who it was issued to and waited for the driver to come out (we had video cameras)

they got the double cite for using the placard and we took it too. then they would have to explain to (usually) mom what happened to it...and have to go get another. we'd usually collect enough (20-30) in about a month to take down to DMV.

i used to have campus police stake out my car when i had a placard for a work related injury...they just figured that anyone driving a 911 couldn't be disabled

[Lyte-]

I have the placard due to my acl surgery as well. People always give me evil looks because I am on the younger looking side. Some times my knee really bothers me other times it doesnt until I walk for a short distance.

[Cokebottle]

There was a story on Yahoo a while back that over 50% of the handicapped placards used in San Francisco (because of the limited and expensive parking) were being used by people who the placards were not issued to.

Add to that....
Something like 90% of requests to the DMV offer the good cause as "Obesity"

Ya... the people that NEED to walk that extra 20ft get the tags so they don't have to.
Now, this isn't 90% of issued tags, but I'll betcha' it's for a good percentage.

[retired]

There was a story on Yahoo a while back that over 50% of the handicapped placards used in San Francisco (because of the limited and expensive parking) were being used by people who the placards were not issued to.

Then there was that story of the UCLA football team awhile back using them.

[Fjold]

There was a nice cellphone video on the local news last night of a City of Arvin police officer using the handicapped space at the local bank while he went in to do his private banking.

From the Chief, "Police cars are allowed to park any place in an emergency but this was not the case in this instance. The officer in the video no longer works for the Arvin PD"