Matt Blunt, Governor
Mark James, Director
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
State of Missouri • P.O. Box 749 • Jefferson City, MO 65102 • Terri Durdaller • 573-751-4819
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:
Terri Durdaller
Communication Director
(573) 751-4819
RE: Law Enforcement Crack Down on Fraudulent Use of Handicap Placards
JEFFERSON CITY, July 20, 2005—Missouri Capitol Police and the Highway Patrol conducted a joint handicap enforcement operation today, netting 31 citations and issuing 14 verbal warnings for various violations of handicap parking provisions. State employees were the first Missourians tested in the effort, directed by the governor’s office, to seek out handicap parking fraud.
Led by Dan Card, the Governor’s Council on Disabilities alerted officials to parking abuses around the state, and asked them to do something about the escalating problem. Gov. Blunt responded by asking state law enforcement to conduct a sting operation.
“The best way to deter this abuse is to get to the root of the problem,” Blunt said. “If that means having law enforcement watch who is actually getting out of cars parked in handicapped spaces, then we will do so. Providing special parking for those who honestly need it is the point of having handicap parking spaces, and we want to make sure that system is not abused.”
At 5:30 this morning Capitol Police with the assistance of the Highway Patrol made their rounds to four Jefferson City state building parking lots to monitor state employees parking in handicap spaces and check them for proper permit documentation.
Some handicap parking violations occur because of confusion. The majority of the 31 Missouri Uniform Citations and Summons were issued because citizens failed to provide proof of authorization to use a disabled placard. Law enforcement issued an additional 14 verbal warnings for operating a vehicle while displaying the placard. Legislation passed last year requires drivers to take down their handicap placard while they are driving and only place it on their rearview mirror when the vehicle is parked.
Jefferson City Police Chief Roger Schroeder supported the operation.
“The selfish and thoughtless act of unlawfully parking in a parking stall clearly designated for disabled persons is an abuse which demands special enforcement attention,” Schroeder said. “I appreciate the importance Governor Blunt has attached to this issue and the validation given by the legislature. The Jefferson City Police Department enthusiastically supports this effort in the interest of safety for all persons.”
The Department of Public Safety reminds citizens that handicap placards, placed on rearview mirrors, and handicap license plates are issued for a specific person with a disability. The placards and plates only permit a vehicle to be parked in a designated stall when the person issued the placard or plate is driving or riding in the car.
Though most of the citations issued today were minor violations, fraudulent use of the designation, aimed to ease the everyday functioning of those with disabilities, carries hefty consequences. Fraudulent use of handicap placards and plates is considered a class B misdemeanor and is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $500 fine. Law enforcement today discovered two of the 31 violators were practicing handicap parking fraud and will be liable for the misdemeanor penalties.
Columbia Police Chief Randy Boehm said operations around the state are a positive step toward eliminating handicap parking abuse.
“The Columbia Police Department recognizes the importance of assuring that disability parking spaces are used properly by those that are disabled,” Boehm said. We are supportive of efforts to increase law enforcement’s commitment to assure that violators are identified and ticketed.”
For more information about the handicap enforcement operation, please contact Terri Durdaller at (573) 751-4819.