Don't be mean to meter maids!

OK,well that pretty much says it all.

Except I'm not really a meter maid, I'm a Parking Enforcement Officer.

Parking Officer's have a job to do. It's crappy, but someone's gotta do it. We don't just patrol meters either. My job is to patrol shopping center's for handicap and fire lane violators and to respond to citizen complaints in neighborhoods. for instance, let's say there is a car parked in front of your house that hasn't moved in awhile, you'd call it in and I would get dispatched. If it doesn't have valid plates it gets ticketed and towed, if it does have valid plates then it gets red tagged and they have 72 hours to drive the vehicle or it gets towed. If it's blocking someone's driveway it's get ticketed and an automatic tow (that's just rude!)

So, on any given day I will get between 8 and 10 vehicle complaints. My complaints tell me the location, vehicle description and how long it's been there. I go out and tag or tow the vehicle. Not complicated, right?

WRONG!

I get accused DAILY of being racist. I'm sorry, maybe I'm missing something. Can YOU tell what color a person is by the kind of car they drive? What color is the person who drives silver Chrysler? I sure can't.

Sometimes people tell me to watch my back or I'm gonna get beat up/shot and sometimes people just try to hit me with their car. I had a guy hock a loogie on my truck (let me say EWWWWWWWWW! I had to go through the car wash TWICE to get it off!!) A lot of the time people will just drive by and call me names or yell at me to get a real job (I like my pretend job, it pays pretty well). It really gets old.

Let me just say this. If I'm out for your vehicle it is because someone in your neighborhood called it in. If it's being towed then IT IS YOUR FAULT, NOT MINE!
If it was tagged, then you were given fair warning. 72 hours is plenty of time to drive your vehicle, have it towed somewhere or push it in the driveway. If you get towed because your plates are expired, then you are a moron. Plates in Indiana are due the same time EVERY year. You get a notice from the BMV to tell you that they are due. I am NOT going to hold your hand and take you to get plates. It is your PRIVILEGE to drive not your RIGHT. It is your RESPONSIBILITY to make sure you have VALID registration for EACH car you own, not one plate for all five vehicles.

I had a lady today screaming obscenities at me for towing her Blue Pont 4d. The plate expired 5/7/09 AND it belonged to a Red Olds 4d. I received a complaint. Whose fault is it her car was towed?

Parking Officers are just doing a job, not harassing people. I have the entire south side of the city. Everything south of the River, City Limits to City Limits. And, I don't care if you live in the really rich area (southwest) or the lower to middle class area (southeast), if you are in violation of a parking ordinance and I receive a complaint you will be ticketed and/or towed. Don't believe me? Ask the ex-mayor. I've written him several tickets for being illegally parked. I have a job to do. I am impartial at work. I've written tickets to both Friends and Family, I have had to tow a family friend's car for expired plates. They understand at work I have to enforce the law equally for everyone in my district.

So to reiterate, don't be mean to Parking Officers, they are just doing their job. Do you want someone to come to your work and scream obscenities at you?

Now do you see why Stupid people REALLY annoy me and there is a Law AGAINST stabbing them?