California DMV Employees Accused of Illegally Using Handicapped Placards

A local Fox affliliate in California alleges that employees of the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles are illegally using handicapped placards to snag prime parking spaces.

FOX 40 in Sacramento investigated the claims of improper use of placards by California DMV employees for five months, and found what they say are several instances of employees parking illegally. A reporter at the affiliate describes discovering a woman parking with the placard in a van that didn’t match the handicapped tag:

“Excuse me. I’m with Fox40 News. I’m doing a story on DMV employees who are parking with handicapped placards that aren’t theirs,” we said to the woman inside.

“Okay, first of all, I’m not parking with something that’s not mine. And you need to walk away,” she replied, before pulling her sweatshirt up over her head.

A City parking officer saw things differently, and wrote her woman a ticket.

“You are a DMV employee, so you know the rules, correct?” I asked. She kept her face hidden.

California DMV spokesman Mike Marando said the results of the sting by FOX40 were isolated, but further investigation of the incident revealed at least one further instance that had occurred in the two years prior to the media investigation. Marando said of the later incident:

“In this case, the employee in question was cited and fined by the court for parking in a disabled parking space, and, was given appropriate disciplinary action by the department.”

The woman named by the station was fined more than $1000 for the offense.