Washington police plan more ‘proactive’ parking enforcement

WASHINGTON — Police are stepping up enforcement of Washington’s municipal parking codes, as officers implement an initiative to pay more attention to the issue on patrols. It’s a shift in philosophy for the city’s police department, where officers previously issued parking tickets mostly in response to complaints, rather than seeking out offenders.

City Police Chief Jim Lester said staff on patrol routes would spend the next several weeks issuing written warnings to cars violating the most commonly broken local parking laws, and attaching copies of the relevant city code sections with those warnings.

“We just felt that, you know, maybe it’s time we spend a little more time addressing these issues while we’re on patrol,” he said. “Rather than being a little more complaint-based, being a little more proactive in our approach.”

While officers are mostly leaving written warnings at the moment, Lester expects the department to pivot more into actual parking tickets by the start of 2025. Those come with a standard citywide fine of $25, except during snow emergencies, which can raise the rate to $50.

“It’s a matter of education, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see a change in the behavior, that’s what we’re looking for,” he said. “Early to mid-January, we’ll probably be looking at (tickets) … It’s a matter of educating people why the changes were in place, and this is why we’re now enforcing that. I think with time and everybody working together, it will alleviate some of that.”

The change was driven by frequent parking complaints around town, according to Lester, who said the new policy would pair well with seasonal efforts to enforce parking bans during snowy weather. A press release from the police department said city officials also had growing safety concerns related to illegal parking.

Its timing mixes with a handful of changes to Washington’s street parking laws in recent months. Earlier this year, Washington City Council members approved several new no-parking zones and made adjustments to the list of accessible parking spots around town. More recently, advocates have called for stricter enforcement of rules banning trailers parked in front lawns, pushing some equipment into the street that violates other sections of the code.

“Officers field several calls each week about vehicles parked in no-parking zones or vehicles being stored on city streets for periods longer than 24 hours,” Lester wrote in a press release. “With recent Ordinance changes and the upcoming winter snow plowing season, it was decided to spend some time this fall concentrating on residential neighborhoods focusing on the different parking violations.”

The initiative will focus mostly on four specific sections of the city code, according to Lester; Those banning street parking that faces against the flow of traffic, or for over 24 hours at a time, as well as trailers parked curbside overnight and vehicles left blocking the sidewalk.

Lester said officers wouldn’t be tasked exclusively with parking enforcement, however. Instead, they’re assigned roughly one quadrant of the city ahead of their patrols where they’re asked to look for parking violations while following citywide routes. The duties are split between day and night shifts to ensure equal coverage for residents with differing work schedules.

“I think it’s a good use of our resources,” Lester said. “We’re patrolling looking for things out of place, and improperly parked vehicles can sometimes end up being a stolen vehicle. Things that are parked out of place, and things that are parked in violation, the officers are checking on those.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com