Meter-Made
Toronto, ON
Female, 30
I currently work as a Parking Enforcement Officer in the wonderful city of Toronto. I am feared, and loathed by all. I may not work in your particular city, but I'm positive that I can help give you a better understanding of what Meter Maids do. I am knowledgeable in all parking matters so ask me anything.
It's hard to recall the nicest thing someone has ever said to me, but I have had several encounters with individuals who have brightened my day. Most of the time it's just someone asking if I'm cold and would like something warm to drink. Or someone giving me words of encouragement. I've also had times where a passerby will stop to make sure I'm okay when a disgruntled individual I have ticketed is raising their voice with me. There is one individual who stands out to me as well. A particular business owner I see on a regular basis always watches to make sure that no one gives me a hard time when I am approached on his particular street. He is always friendly and makes sure I have enough water on a hot day, or invites me inside if I need to warm up on a frigid day. It's people like this that actually make my job more meaningful.
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It would really depend on what the offence was for. Clearly you were in a disabled spot but were you in a "No Standing Disabled Loading Zone?" If this is the case you are only allowed to occupy the spot for less than twenty minutes to drop off and pick up the said disabled person. To park there for twenty four hours would definately be in excess of the permitted time.
Because it is your husbands permit, he has to be the one being transported using the vehicle. If you were using the permit without transporting him, there are grounds for charging you with misuse of the permit. If an officer seized the permit they were only doing so to investigate the matter. I am sure based on the date that you submitted the question that you've already been contacted about the matter, and whether you are being charged for misuse of the permit. If this is the case then you will have to attend court to fight an HTA offence. If it was deemed that it wasn't misused then the permit was or will be returned to you.
Either way if you still have concerns with why it was seized, or the ticket itself you can always contact the Disabled Liason Unit at the Parking Enforcement Unit for clarification. They can explain your individual circumstances to you and your options.
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I wouldn't say I was more leneient in ticketing people with children. But letting a individuals with children off would really depend on the parking offence itself. If they were five minutes late and were running back to their car with 3 kids in tow I would maybe let them go without issuing the ticket. Otherwise If they were in rush hour I wouldnt' have any other choice but to ticket and tow them right away.
Overall, I think I would treat them the same way as I would anyone else running back to their car before I serve a ticket. Parents park illegally too, and cars that seem to equipped for transporting children aren't exempt from parking bylaws.
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I can definitely tell you the process based in Toronto, but I am not sure how it works elsewhere.
If you have the basic requirements and pass a basic background check you only have a few more things in store. I am assuming that you have filled out an application and submitted it electronically on the Toronto Police Service Website.
First you are required to write an exam that tests your basic spelling and grammar. If you are successful with the test you then move on to an interview. This interview can come months after the test, so if you don't hear anything for a while it's actually a good thing. "No news is good news" is the policy. If you are unsucessful in the testing phase you will be notified in writing which will stipulate when you are allowed to reapply.
Hearing whether or not you were successful in the interview stage also takes some time, as there are many applicants and background checks being conducted on possible candidates. If you are successful you will hear back in a few months to say that you were successful and a job offer will be made. If you were unsuccessful you will be notified in writing.
Once you have been offered the job and sworn in you are required to complete approximately 6 weeks of training, which is in a classroom setting. After the training is complete you are put on a shift of either monday to friday, or a compressed schedule which includes days, evenings, and weekends.
For the first month or so you will be paired up with a training officer who will take you around and familiarize you with the particular area that you will be working in. After this time is completed, you are required to work on your own and pass your probationary period which is 6 months from the time you begin the in class training.
Hopefully this gives you some insight on the process ahead. The Toronto Police Service Website is also a great way to understand the requirements of the job:
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/careers/civ_job_categories.php#pke
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Yes, we do check tickets that are on a car. Not only does it help us know what coworkers are in the area, but it is also possible for an individual to get more than one ticket on a given day. It is also important to note that we check tickets in order to ensure that a person hasn't accumulated three tickets in the same area, as they will then be automatically towed.
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Since the permit was misused without your mothers knowledge and your husband used the permit to park in a "no parking area" to receive an exemption, the permit was seized. The misuse of the permit would have been investigated and if it found that it was misused he will be charged with its misuse under the Highway Traffic Act. He will receive a court notification and can face up to a $5000 dollar fine.
I've never heard of a first time offender receiving a fine that high, but I have seen more leniency granted to those who plead guilty. If you are unsure you can always hire legal counsel who can advise you of your options, since this is now a traffic violation. Like I mentioned in the post above, if you need more clarification contact the Disabled Liason Unit at the Parking Enforcement Unit. They will be able to give you more information.
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This question was asked on April 29, 2012. I answered the following: We do not have a quota. We do have a performance standard that we have to attain to show that we are actually out there working. The city has calculated the average ticket number in every area in the city, and officers assigned to these zones should be getting roughly the same amount as their counterparts on different shifts.
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