GRPD Volunteers Now Have More Authority Write Parking Tickets

I can see this being a problem for me come winter when I’m fighting with my neighbor over parking spaces, I sometimes take advantage of the police being too busy to write me a parking ticket for same side parking… well not anymore.

The Grand Rapids’ City Commission voted unanimously to allow police volunteers/Neighborhood Services to write tickets for more infractions, according to MLive.

Previous to the vote, the volunteers could only write tickets for parking in a handicap spot without a tag, if you were parked in a no parking zone or on the crosswalk, and 15 feet from a fire hydrant. Now though, MLive says they’ll be able to write tickets for a lot more stuff like,

• Parking left of the curb

• Parking within or on a bike lane

• Parking in a manner that blocks a bike lane

• Parking an unattached trailer or semi-trailer in the roadway

• Season parking restrictions (odd/even winter parking)

That last one is going to be the one that gets me.  Ugh.

If you’re wondering what a police volunteer is or maybe you want to become one, because they are hiring a few more, you just have to be at least 18 years old and in good health, but you get paired up in a city vehicle and you patrol one of 5 zones between 8 am and 5 pm, helping with tickets and traffic direction and stuff.

They do train you on some stuff before they just send you out, but you’ll be helping make Grand Rapids a better place.

If you want more info, you can get it here on the city website.