Eight investigators from the California Department of Motor Vehicles checked for students parking in disabled persons spots in the Lemon parking structure Tuesday, May 16.
According to Campus Safety Director Steve Selby, this is the third year the DMV team looked into this issue of parking violations at FC.
Individuals pulling in were immediately approached by officers and asked for their driver’s license, handicap placard and supporting documentation.
The investigators checked authenticity on site through a specialized vehicle parked inn front of the campus safety office.
Students in violation were issued a ticket and their placard was confiscated.
According to SHOUSE California Law Group, a ticket for a violation can cost anywhere from $250 to $1,000.
On campus, the violation for wrongfully parking in a handicap spot is $284. Displaying another person’s placard carries the same penalty, but as separate offense.
In April, investigators took on the Glendale Galleria in Los Angeles, and 15 percent of individuals who were checked on were found in violation of California vehicle code 4461 (b)(c).
The code states “a person to whom a disabled person placard has been issued shall not lend the placard to another person, and a disabled person shall not knowingly permit the use for parking purposes of the placard or identification license plate issued pursuant to Section 5007 by one not entitled to it”(b) and “except for the purpose of transporting a disabled person as specified in subdivision (b), a person shall not display a disabled person placard that was not issued to him or her or that has been canceled or revoked pursuant to Section 22511.6.”
Supervising investigators A. Mehta and W. Lauerdale headed the FC operation. According to Mehta said that the amount of violations was “higher than average.”
Mehta was unable to provide exact numbers of vehicle checks and violations counts at the time of the sweep,
Lauerdale assured that they swept all handicap parking areas spending a majority of their time in the Lemon parking structure.
“We stuck primarily to the parking structure because when we checked other spots the school told us to look at there wasn’t much traffic,” said Lauerdale.
Selby explained this violation has been a major problem over the years with disabled students complaining to campus safety about a lack of accessibility to their designated parking spots.
Mehta and Lauerdale encouraged anyone who witnesses a violator in action to report them.
A form is available on the DMV website.