Someone stole my disabled placard!

[Gabriella7]

Can you believe anyone would stoop so low as to steal a disabled placard hanging from the rearview mirror? I was parked right in front of the cafe where I was eating breakfast in one of two handicapped parking spaces. Normally, I lock up my car and this was probably the first time I haven't done that. I had to drive to the car tag office to get another one then take it to a print shop to have it laminated since the county doesn't do that anymore and it was printed on flimsy paper! I called the police when I noticed it was missing to find out what the fine is. I was told it is considered theft and the person would go to jail.

Tomorrow, I plan on staking out the joint and hope the person comes back and parks in my spot. Then I will take down the car's license tag number and call the police. If the police do not show up by the time the person is leaving.... it may get interesting.....to be continued.

Gabriella

[renee]

That bites and
that is E-V-I-L

If you have a camera on your phone get photos of license and tag...and the perp if you can.

-avenger 54

[agate]

People will kill for those disabled placards.

I hope you can find the person who got yours. Such a person is probably going to be using it--and making life more difficult for those who are really entitled to disabled parking.

[stillstANNding]

How will you know if the tag is yours? It isn't your spot, really. Do they have a number on them that you'd be able to know by?

Curious ANN

[Jeanie Z]

:) Hi everyone. In Florida your driver's license number is on the front and back of the placard. An MS friend tickets violators. He sees someone walk in with no difficulty and waits until they come back and asks to see their driver's license. If the numbers do not match he issues a $250. ticket. He parks behind their car so they cannot leave until he checks them out. He also takes digital photos. The sheriff trained retirees and issues them uniforms to do this and they must do at least 8 hours a week in parking lots. Jeanie :)

[agate]

Or if you don't have a driver's license but have a disabled parking placard that you can use if somebody is driving you somewhere, there's a number prominently displayed on it, and anyone in authority who looks up the number would find that the placard was registered to me.

When the doctor signed the authorization for this placard, he warned me never to let it out of my possession. I've never lost it though a couple of times I forgot and left it in someone's car. These were responsible people who returned the card to me immediately.

[SalpalSally]

The biggest handicap of all...A Moral one.

[jendie]

I'm sorry to hear about this .

[lor]

Where I live they set aside a few parking spots near an entrance & lable them for disabled. No one spot belongs to anyone anywhere but to park in one, you have to display your 'handicaped permit' on your rear view mirror

[Gabriella7]

Not a assigned spot!

I didn't mean that "my spot" was literally "mine only" just that it is always open for me to park in it. Here in Georgia everyone's handicapped placard has the person's name on it. It also has a number which is in the computer and is linked to your driver's license.

My husband went with me this morning to the "stake out". I had my camera phone and my digital camera but no one parked in either of the two handicapped parking spaces. I did let the owner of the shop know about handicapped placard. They do have security cameras but they only record inside the businesses.

I wish the county would employ retirees to police our handicapped spots as there must be a lot of abuse. I have some substitute "tickets" to place on cars that let them know it is not legal to park there if they do so without a placard.

Gabriella

[Kittianne54]

In Massachusetts, our license picture is on the placard. It comes with a privacy sleeve to put over your picture, but you must remove it show it to any police that request to see it. The privacy sleeves loosen up and are hard to keep on after a while, and most just leave them off.

The placards have an expiration date and are renewed every five years. (people get caught using placards belonging to dead relatives.

[nuthatch]

Interesting how the different states handle placard identification. I guess Californians are a little more concerned about privacy. Placards here do not have our names or driver licenses on them. But there is a number on each placard which links your name with the placard on DMV records. We have to carry in the glovebox of the car, a letter that was issued with the placard and show it on demand to any law enforcement officer, in order to prove ownership.

I've never been asked to show that letter, but it's obvious I'm handicap and our car has a wheelchair lift.
I have to wonder about the character of any person who would steal a handicap placard just to get "Preferred Parking". Sad.

[Frog42]

Some scumbags out there will steal anything that's not nailed down. I really hope they catch him soon, Gabriella. This stinks!

[Abby2006]

I would just contact DMV cancel that one and get a new one and bypass all the drama



Abby

[Gabriella7]

Not Possible!

It is not possible to just cancel a handicapped placard. Anyone can use the placard until someone challenges the use and no one except me (the owner of the stolen placard) would ask them to show proof of who they are.

I am a volunteer ADA advocate and I love a good fight for a good cause. In the past, I have prevailed in getting the owners of a shopping center to be in compliance with the ADA handicapped parking regulations and repaint the lines and stripes for the handicapped spaces. I also spoke to the local post office master about the need to call handicapped patrons to the front of the line when the wait is a long one. I was in the post office the other day when the clerk actually called a patron who was in a wheelchair to come to the front of the line. It gave me a good feeling to know that I had a part in that "random act of kindness".

In other words....a thief is not going to commit a crime and not be punished....if he/she can be caught......NOT on my watch! However my signature line says it all......"Life is mostly froth and bubble, TWO things stand like stone. KINDNESS in another's trouble, COURAGE in your own.

Gabriella