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Kokua Line
Question: Can you warn the handicapped public and those kind enough to provide transportation for the handicapped that they MUST use the "handicap" placards provided by the state? Otherwise, it is a $155 fine, which can be a hardship for handicapped seniors. Those who issue these tickets are hired by the city to "protect" the rights of the handicapped. Some of them are handicapped themselves. Therefore, they should show compassion and leniency to the clearly handicapped who forget to use their placard. Their job is NOT to penalize the handicapped. Display your car’s
handicap placardAnswer: The specially commissioned civilian officers -- who "enhance" the Honolulu Police Department's patrol enforcement of disabled parking -- are trained to be "compassionate and to treat others as they would want to be treated," said Sgt. Bart Canada, HPD's coordinator for disabled parking enforcement in the Traffic Division. (There is also a civilian coordinator.)
"People-oriented" and "nonaggressive" people are sought as volunteers, he said. "They are not out there to make enemies, but to educate the public and make stalls available to the disabled."
Unfortunately, too many people take advantage of the stalls, he said, either not having any placard, or using stolen, borrowed or expired ones.
You said you explained to the civilian officer that you were waiting while your father, who is disabled, went into a building, taking his handicap placard with him. However, Canada said, that is a common, and often bogus, excuse. Thus, "sometimes it's difficult for officers to determine if a story is legitimate (although) we try to give motorists the benefit of the doubt."
The monitors can issue verbal warnings, warning citations or actual tickets. Fines range from $155 to $300. HPD plans to ask legislators to increase the maximum fine to $500, because violations are so common.
Canada pointed out that because their job involves enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, the monitors are authorized to enforce the law on both public AND private property -- generally, "places of public accommodation," especially high-traffic areas.
However, they stay out of residential condominiums/townhomes, private clubs, etc.
HPD's program, made permanent in May 1999, currently involves 43 volunteers, who had to undergo background checks, oral interviews, hearing and vision tests, plus classroom and field training.
Next month, Canada will begin campaigning for more volunteers. By then, training will be upped to 16 hours in the classroom and eight hours in the field.
The monitors can be identified by blue polo shirts with the words "disabled parking enforcement, HPD" and the wheelchair symbol on the left breast.
To volunteer, call Canada at 529-3499. You have to be at least 21, a U.S. citizen, have a high school or general equivalency diploma, and have no record of any felony crime, including crimes of violence or substance abuse. "In other words, be of good moral character," Canada said.
Monitors are required to put in a minimum of two hours per week, but most do much more.
Noting that he once was temporarily paralyzed, "unless you experience being disabled, you don't realize how important that stall is," Canada said. "It's not express parking for bank machines, or for people to do some quick shopping, or to drop off a videotape. It's a very important aspect of a disabled person's accessibility."
TOMORROW: The number of citations and warnings issued.
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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