Volunteers to Help with Traffic Citations
In Midwest City, Oklahoma, city leaders are discussing strengthening a program that allows volunteers to issue parking citations. The program has already been in place, but now the city is proposing to allow volunteers the authority to ticket cars with expired license plates.
Volunteers for the program must pass a background check and complete a 16-hour class. They are then issued citation books and granted the authority to ticket drivers who violate ordinances such as parking in a handicap space or having expired plates. They work at their leisure and while they do not have a badge or uniform, they are issued an identification card.
A key measure to this program makes it illegal for anyone to interefere, assault or obstruct a parking enforcement officer. People who are found guilty of the above face up to a $750 fine and 60 days in jail.
The Chief of Police, Brandon Clabes, hopes this will help get people off the streets that are driving illegally.
posted by JenWiehl @ 1:13 PM
12 Comments
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12 Comments:
Where do I sign up??? :)
Good people volunteer their time--help protect them and the people that they serve by doing a background check.
I think this is a good idea. It will give the police officers more time to catch criminals and respond to emergency calls
That's smart! The city doesn't need to be handing criminals a badge and ticket book! I can only imagine the chaos that would ensue if they weren't doing background checks on these pseudo vigilantes.
I think that's a wonderful idea. Although, If they started this in LA, half the cars would be ticketed.
This is just like "parking wars", the app on facebook. Only in real life.
I hope this works out and we don't see a story in a couple months about something slipping through the cracks and cars getting stolen or something!
Obviously they had to start it in the Mid-West! If they would have tried it in say...CA, I'm positive that they would have dicontinued it within a week.
Protect the innocent by making sure whose out there.
Now if only civilians could ticket each other for bad parallel parking jobs - then we would be on to something.
I'm glad these volunteers are required to have background checks. More volunteer programs should have such strict guidelines.
Seems like common sense to me...both the plan and the execution.
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