Austin, Texas Explores Photo Parking Snitch Tickets

[The Straight Story]

Austin, Texas Explores Photo Parking Snitch Tickets
City council in Austin, Texas considers allowing residents to issue parking tickets to other drivers with an iPhone app.

Parking mobilityResidents of Austin, Texas may soon have the power to issue parking tickets by taking a few photographs of someone else's car with their smartphones. A unanimous council voted on October 20 to explore the concept of deputizing vigilante meter maids using an iPhone app. Disabled advocates pushed the program at the council meeting in the hopes of guaranteeing easier parking. They were joined by others who were just interested in writing the $511 tickets.

"I am a community policer from way back," one resident said at the meeting. "I'm also one of the first code compliance volunteers in my neighborhood... Low income people like me can't even afford a cell phone, so I think if you're going to allow this you should also expand this ordinance to include the ability of the police department and code compliance to purchase smartphones for their volunteers."

Councilman Kathie Tovo noted a number of volunteers had already emailed looking to join the program. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 681.0101, cities may deputize volunteer meter maids who swear an oath after taking a four-hour class before they can start ticketing.

"I can't help but think that there's some solution that does involve the use of smartphone technology putting those powers in the hands of citizens and enabling them to help the city extend its reach to do a better job of enforcing handicapped parking restrictions," Councilman Chris Riley said.

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/36/3626.asp

[Gamow]

1. Photoshop + snitch app = revenge. nt

[Downwinder]

2. Privatizing law enforcement. Cops better join Occupy Austin

to protect their jobs. What kind of a reception will they get?

[ChiciB1]

3. OMG, What Is this Country Coming To?? What's Next? n/t

[yella_dawg]

4. Holy shit.

I'm speechless. Vigilante is the new cool.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. $511 for a freaking parking ticket???

Yikes!

[lunatica]

6. That may be for parking illegally in a handicapped space

Here in California if you park in a bus zone the ticket is over $200. Even if you're still in the and just picking up or dropping someone off.

[jtuck004]

7. Great idea. People shouldn't be parking in handicap spaces if

they don't have the permit, and the police can't possibly do enough to keep the spaces open for people that need them.

[MadHound]

8. So instead we should resort to vigilante, privatized justice

There are so many ways that this can be abused, it seriously isn't funny.

[trotsky]

9. Technically, vigilante justice is when a citizen carries out the punishment.

If they are deputized, they are performing this role as an agent of law enforcement.

[jtuck004]

10. As opposed to how the government-militarized cops abuse the

system now? Like the Marine laying in the hospital for daring to stand in public and practice free speech? The 4 S.F. officers that have been fired this year? None of those incidents are funny either. Those in Oklahoma City who were laughing after having confiscated firecrackers from "the little n****** kids" and giving them to their own kids and others to shoot?

The volunteers in the post aren't vigilantes - they are trained and sworn in by the city. In this instance there is nothing, not a thing, that makes citizens trying to make their community better more likely to abuse the system than uniformed government-employed police.

And there is nothing funny about watching an 80 year old couple struggle across the ice in a parking lot because some 20 year old asshole parked in the handicap spot instead of across the lot a little ways.

Abuse? I guess they could tow someone's car and drop it in a handicap space, or go have a big cardboard model made to phony up a picture. But I doubt that is going to be an overwhelming issue.

Frankly, I think people who park in handicap spaces without a placard ought to have their cars booted and towed, along with a several hundred dollar ticket. Second offense they lose the car. Lazy bastards.

[Odin2005]

11. This will not end well.