Cruising for parking violators

Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006 | 7:05 a.m.

People typically reserve the type of disdain directed at parking enforcement agents for used-car salesmen and tax collectors.

But in Henderson, a group of silver-haired folks are eager to join the ticket-writing corps.

They patrol mall parking lots during the holiday season, checking to see who's naughty and who's nice. They never leave presents - only lumps of coal in the form of costly pink tickets.

They leave from the Henderson Police substation on Green Valley Parkway before 10 a.m., eager to meet the shopping crunch - and to try to keep the usually chaotic situation in mall parking lots around the holidays from becoming even less manageable.

Penny White, 72, wanders into the station ready to tackle the day's mission. She's perky, her blond hair done just right, and she smiles politely.

"I'm qualified at the range," she says. When some people chuckle at the petite lady's assertion about firearms, she insists with a laugh, "I am."

She won't get the chance to demonstrate that skill on the job, however, because the volunteers do not carry weapons. They do wear blue vests identifying themselves as police volunteers, and they cruise in an old Crown Victoria police car adorned with Henderson's logo.

The parking enforcers are part of Citizen Corps, a two-year-old program offering volunteers a chance to get involved in the city. The handicapped parking enforcement program has been going on for about two months, kicked off just in time for the giving season.

The seniors take a defensive driving course for a day and another half-day class on parking laws, which gives them the power to scribble tickets.

The stretched-thin police department welcomes the help, which allows officers to focus on bigger crimes. And the seniors get the chance to volunteer for a worthy cause and give back to the community.

"Penny is a rigorous citer," said Steve Dawson, director of Citizen Corps.

Her partner, Mike Searcey, 66, a retired Oregon State Police lieutenant, arrives moments later.

Then, after alerting dispatchers, they are on the prowl.

"I do it because I must have activity," White says, wearing a pair of huge sunglasses while riding shotgun. "I cannot do nothing."

She also volunteers with Citizen Corps on other projects, including searches for missing persons and notifying neighbors about sex offenders.

As Searcey drives through the parking lot at The District, White keeps her eyes peeled for potential violators. "Tag, tag, plate, tag, plate," she says, noting the handicap logo on license plates or the blue tags dangling from rearview mirrors.

Often, when the volunteers do not spot a handicapped plate or tag and climb out of their car to consider issuing a citation, they find the required parking permit resting on the dashboard.

The volunteers typically hand out four or five tickets per day. And the fines are steep, ranging from $347 to $1,000, at the discretion of a judge.

White and Searcey say they take no special pleasure from knowing they are punishing inconsiderate drivers who feel their haste justifies taking a handicapped parking spot. Nor do they feel bad for the recipients of their work.

"It's not personal," Searcey said.

Simply having the parking enforcement car on the streets serves as a deterrent to those tempted by the close spots with the blue markings.

"Several times people pulled in and they see us," Searcey said. "Boy, do they pull out fast."

As they rolled through the parking lot at the Galleria at Sunset mall on Thursday, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" could be heard playing in the mall.

At least on this swing through the expansive parking lot, no one was wrongly parked. But White and Searcey knew it would not be long before they spotted a car in a parking spot reserved for someone who needs it more.

"It's convenient," Searcey said. "They think they can. They don't think anybody is enforcing."

But someone is. And drivers who cross paths with the volunteer ticket writers will go home with an expensive reminder of just how true that is.