Parking enforcer

Tammy Kahanu patrols city streets looking for vehicles that have run out of time

Tammy Kahanu Title: Parking violations clerk II Job: Issues citations to vehicles in violation of city parking ordinances

Tammy Kahanu really loved being a carpenter, which she did for about five years as a member of the Hawaii Carpenters Union. But about eight years ago she decided to shift gears and become a police officer. Those plans changed when she was injured during training, so she became a parking violations clerk instead -- or, as she prefers to call it, a parking enforcement officer.

The city job lets her work outdoors a lot, she gets to meet new people every day -- though some of them aren't so happy to meet her -- and there are always vehicles in need of citations.

Kahanu is a graduate of Kahuku High School and has an associate of science degree in carpentry from Honolulu Community College. The former Tammy Mainaaupo, 34, is married to Sam Kahanu III, with whom she has two children: a 7-year-old daughter and a 7-month-old son. They live in Kaneohe.

Question: So how many tickets did you give out today?

Answer: I think it was 58.

Q: Fifty-eight?

A: Yeah, it was a slow day. Nah, nah. (Laughter)

Q: Is that amount about average?

A: For me, yeah. I give a lot of people breaks, too. "OK, you can move your car."

Q: What was the most common violation?

A: Most common is expired meter, or people parking in freight-loading zones

Q: Did anyone come out and start yelling at you while you were putting a ticket on their car, or beg you to stop writing?

A: Today, one, yeah. (Laughter. She got me before I started writing the ticket.

Q: What was her infraction?

A: Expired meter.

Q: Where was that exactly?

A: Ohua Street.

Q: Do you ever cut people slack, like maybe if their meter just ran out or something?

A: If it just ran out and they get me before I start writing, I'll let them go.

Q: Are you trained to cut people slack?

A: It's to your discretion. If you start writing the citation, you can't take it back. You have to finish it. You tell them they have to explain it to the judge or we show them in the back (of the ticket) where it explains what to do if they want to contest it, like if the meter is broken.

If we see the meter is broken, we'll call the mechanic, but we still have to issue the citation. Then we'll give them (the vehicle owners) the mechanic's number, and they get with the mechanic and then they can write to the judge.

Q: Do you cite people for seat-belt violations, too?

A: No. We don't take care of that.

Q: Your current assigned area is Waikiki, right?

A: Yes. For the next four weeks I'm in Waikiki.

Q: Have you ever covered any other areas?

A: Yes. The last route I covered was from Bethel Street to Punchbowl.

Q: And where do you think you'll go next?

A: I have no idea yet.

Q: Is it a certain amount of time at each place?

A: We rotate every four weeks.

Q: Do you have a favorite area?

A: Kailua and Chinatown.

Q: Why are those your favorites?

A: Because Kailua, I'm from the Windward side, so it feels like I'm closer to home. And then Chinatown because, I don't know, plenty action over there. All the excuses .... (Laughter)

Q: If you're doing Kailua, where's your vehicle based?

A: We have a car that we take over the Pali, cause we can't drive the Cushman over.

Q: Is the Cushman a three-wheeled vehicle or four-?

A: It's a three-wheeled vehicle.

Q: Is it hard to drive?

A: Not really. We get training. It's pretty easy, once you get the hang of it. But the shifter is on the left-hand side, and the ignition is on the left-hand side.

Q: Do you know why?

A: I have no idea. (Laughter)

Q: Does it make it easier to give tickets or something?

A: Not really. There's only one person in the vehicle, and you can get out on either side, so it doesn't matter.

Q: Do you have a radio in it so you can listen to music, or would that be too distracting?

A: We only have our police- issued radios.

Q: Do you ever work with regular police officers.

A: Not unless they're tagging the streets with us. That's about the only time we work with them.

Q: So are you constantly on the move in your Cushman?

A: Yes. Constantly moving. I try to sneak up on people. (Laughter) If you go at a set time, they kind of know when you're going to come around, so I try to mix it, to keep 'em honest. (Laughter)

Q: How about the people that get a ticket, and they come back out and see the ticket, so they just leave the car there because they already got the ticket?

A: We usually give people a break. We can tag them for the infraction every hour, but we don't do that. We don't want to be that bad.

Q: Do people have a better chance of avoiding parking tickets if it's raining?

A: If it's like downpouring, yeah, but we better not broadcast that. But if it's on my route, no, because I still give tickets in the rain.

Q: How much time do you spend each day doing paperwork for the job?

A: Usually we spend a half an hour before we go out, and about an hour when we come back.

Q: What are you doing?

A: We make our daily log, like what streets we went on and how many tags on each street.

Q: Anything unusually exciting happen on your route lately?

A: Well, when I was collecting, I just missed a robbery in Kapahulu. Missed it by about 45 minutes.

Q: Collecting? You mean you were going around draining the meters?

A: Yes. When we're short of collectors, then I go around and help with the collecting.

Q: How much money can each meter hold?

A: We don't know that. Everything is in a canister, so we don't see what's inside. We just unload it and take it to the bank.

Q: How often do you help with collecting?

A: Usually when we have people on vacation or they're sick, then we cover.

Q: What's the best thing you like about the job?

A: Meeting new people, and then listening to all the excuses. People are so imaginative. You can't believe some of the excuses they come up with.

Q: Can you remember any off hand?

A: "I ran into the store to get money, and it expired before I could come out" -- and they're standing there with a plate lunch in their hand. It's weird.

Q: What would you say is the worst thing about the job?

A: People getting irate, and yelling at you, and swearing at you, and calling you all kind of names, saying they pay my salary, and I'm ripping off from the poor, like I make a million dollars or something. That's why I'm working, I got to make money, too. (Laughter).

Some people get so upset. Sorry, you know? If you had paid the meter, you wouldn't have this problem. They act like it's my fault.

Q: Does that ever get you down?

A: No. (Laughter) It just gets me more motivated to issue some more tickets.