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Home My WebLink AboutIR 8426 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8426 �R Date: August 13, 2002 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council SUBJECT: VOLUNTEER PARKING ENFORCMENT PROGRAM UPDATE PURPOSE On July 23, 2002, City Council members requested information regarding the status of the Volunteer Parking Enforcement Program, which was approved by Council on November 20, 2001, M&C Reference Number G-13442. This report discusses information about the volunteers, the status of the program, and statistics on the numbers of tickets issued. In addition, this report gives feedback from the Mayor's Committee on Persons with Disabilities, which initially proposed the program to Council. VOLUNTEER INFORMATION On Saturday, February 16, 2002, thirty (30) volunteers completed a four (4) hour training course, which was conducted by Police Lt. Billy Cordell, Mayor's Committee Representative Scott Haynes, Police North Division Traffic Control Supervisor JJ Wagner, Municipal Court Clerk Jackie Mitchell and Strategic Partners Coordinator Dindy Robinson. Training consisted of information about the laws regarding parking enforcement, procedures in issuing citations, instructions on how to write a citation, and steps for avoiding confrontations. The volunteers were later issued ID Badges and individual Volunteer Numbers. They were-each issued a safety vest, which clearly identifies them as being members of the Volunteer Parking Enforcement Program, and were given vehicle placards for their cars. They were instructed to use the vehicle signs and wear the vests any time they are on duty. Each volunteer was issued two (2) citation books. Volunteers were also given informational brochures to be given to violators in addition to, or in lieu of, citations. Throughout the training process, it was clearly emphasized that the primary purpose of the program is to educate and inform the public. Since February, eight (8) of the original volunteers have dropped out of the program; Five (5) dropped out for medical reasons; Two (2) dropped because of time constraints and one (1) dropped for personal reasons. Of the remaining twenty-two (22) volunteers, two (2) have been inactive for medical reasons but wish to stay in the program. An additional five (5) have not written any tickets. One (1) of these prefers to hand out brochures to violators. The remaining fifteen (15) volunteers are actively writing tickets. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8426 Date: August 13, 2002 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 2 of 4 SUBJECT: VOLUNTEER PARKING ENFORCMENT PROGRAM UPDATE There is a waiting list of people who are interested in training to become volunteers for the program. A training session will be held in October to replace the volunteers who have dropped from the program. The volunteers who have not written tickets will be asked if they wish to remain in the program and start writing tickets. If they do not respond or indicate that they want to drop out, they will be replaced. STATUS OF THE PROGRAM The program kicked off on March 1, 2002. During the first week there were two encounters between volunteers and citizens. In the first case, the citizen arrived at her car after the volunteer had finished writing the citation. In the second case, the citizen was bent over on the passenger side of the car and the volunteer did not see that the car was occupied. There have been two other encounters between volunteers and citizens since March 1. In both cases the citizen arrived at the car after the volunteer had written the citation. All of these encounters were verbal. No volunteer was injured. In all of the cases, the volunteers voided the ticket and followed proper procedures for avoiding confrontations. Volunteers report that they are frequently approached on the street by citizens who thank them for what they are doing. Except for the cases listed above, public reception has been very positive. The program has been heavily covered by the media. The Star-Telegram ran a front page story about the program; CBS 11 and Channel 8 aired feature stories as did Fort Worth Cable. CBS 11 also ran two interviews about the program on its early morning news show. An e-mail group has been set up for all of the volunteers with internet access to provide for rapid communication. Volunteers without internet access are sent copies of the e-mails on a weekly basis. At times, people call the Police Department or the Strategic Partners Office requesting enforcement at a particular location. When this happens, an e-mail is immediately sent to the volunteers and they are able to promptly respond by going to the location to issue citations as needed. Volunteers have requested Spanish language brochures. These are currently in development. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 84265 Date: August 13, 2002 dt To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 3 of 3 ,f4l 3 SUBJECT: VOLUNTEER PARKING ENFORCMENT PROGRAM UPDATE STATISTICS Accessible Parking Citations Issued March 02 April 02 May 02 June 02 Total 200 177 149 80 606 No Action Taken................22% Hearing Held .....................47% Fines Paid .........................17% Voided Citations................14% According to this chart, Municipal Court has processed 606 citations issued by volunteers from March 1, 2002 through June 30, 2002. In 22% of the cases, or 133 citations, the citizen has not responded to the citation. After a citizen accumulates three (3) unpaid citations, s/he becomes eligible for the boot list. If the boot is applied to the car, the fine must be paid by the end of the day or the car will be impounded. In 17% of the cases, or 103 citations, the fines were paid. In 47% of the cases, or 285, the citizen requested to appear before the hearing officer. Fourteen percent of the citations, or 85, were voided. FEEDBACK FROM THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Scott Haynes of the Mayor's Committee on Persons with Disabilities states, "I feel the program is addressing the problem of accessible parking abuse, and doing it well, very well in fact. Critically we do need to renew the pool of volunteers, as we anticipated we would have to do." Libby Lanzara, Assistant Director of Human Resources and the Staff Liaison to the Mayors Committee says, "This has been a great success in terms of the volunteers writing tickets and lots of positive media. The Courts, through Elsa Paniagua, Jackie Mitchell and Tanya Wilson (the hearing officer), have been very involved in tracking the numbers. The Mayor's Committee on P ersons with Disabilities has stayed, involved through the initial training and the follow up meeting and is very pleased with the results as well. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8426 j Date: August 13, 2002 p To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 4 of 4 SUBJECT: VOLUNTEER PARKING ENFORCMENT PROGRAM UPDATE "Our thanks to Deputy Chief Pat Kneblick, Lt. Billy Cordell and JJ Wagner for all they have done to make this program shine." If you have questions or require additional information, please contact Linda Cobb, Director of the Human Resources Department or Police Chief Ralph Mendoza. Respectfully submitted, Gary W. Jackson City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS