NEW ORLEANS- "I don't care who you are or who you think you are. Those spaces are available for people with handicaps," Commissioner Karen St. Germain with the Office of Motor Vehicles, said.
As to how someone who is not disabled gets a handicap parking tag, St. Germain does not know. According to the New Orleans Inspector General 26 Sewerage and Water Board workers somehow secured placards and used them to park virtually for free near their office on St. Joseph's street.
It only came to light after a tipster reported it to the inspector last June. HOw long the employees were allegedly using the tags is unclear.
"I just want to ask you about the placard on your car," the tipster stated to WWL-TV.
Tuesday, WWL-TV saw several employees with the tags and tried to get answers, but few responded.
St. Germain says the legal way to get a placard is through a doctor. Once that's clear, the tags are handed out.
"You also get to extra hang tags if you're switching cars and maybe with your daughter or your son or that's the reasoning behind that. You should have that person with that ID with you in that vehicle whether it's you or family member or friend that can associate that hang tag with that ID," St. Germain said.
Regardless of how the employees got their hands on the tags, the OIG's report says this abuse likely cost the city $197,000 in parking meter revenue.
Reporting WWL-TV's questions into how exactly the city plans on providing stricter enforcement, Dani Galloway, Director, Department of Public Works released this statement:
"The Department of Public Works’ Parking Division regularly patrols the area referenced in the OIG letter. On March 1, 2018, the Parking Division assigned one of our more experienced supervisors to go out to the area and look specifically for issues that were referenced in the OIG report. Being able to identify faulty or fake handicap placards comes with experience; therefore, our more experienced Parking Enforcement Officers can more easily spot them, while those starting off might not be able to. That being said, the Parking Division will continue to make regular patrols through that area and will include more training on spotting fake handicap placards for all PEOs.
R.S. 47:463.4(G) governs misuse of plates or hang tags issued to persons with mobility impairments. A person who misrepresents having a mobility impairment, misuses a hang tag or special license plate to obtain accessible parking privileges, or allows his/her hang tag or specially plated vehicle to be misused is subject to a fine and/or imprisonment. Like most other state laws, this can be enforced by NOPD or the Louisiana State Police."