About This Career

Patrols assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.

This career is part of the Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security cluster Law Enforcement Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Enters and retrieves information pertaining to vehicle registration, identification, and status, using hand-held computers.
• Patrols an assigned area by vehicle or on foot to ensure public compliance with existing parking ordinance.
• Writes warnings and citations for illegally parked vehicles.
• Appears in court at hearings regarding contested traffic citations.
• Responds to and makes radio dispatch calls regarding parking violations and complaints.
• Maintains assigned equipment and supplies, such as hand-held citation computers, citation books, rain gear, tire-marking chalk, and street cones.
• Maintains close communications with dispatching personnel, using two-way radios or cell phones.
• Performs simple vehicle maintenance procedures, such as checking oil and gas, and reports mechanical problems to supervisors.
• Observes and reports hazardous conditions, such as missing traffic signals or signs, and street markings that need to be repainted.
• Identifies vehicles in violation of parking codes, checking with dispatchers when necessary to confirm identities or to determine whether vehicles need to be booted or towed.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would sit most of the time. There's some walking and standing. You may have to lift and carry things like books, papers or tools weighing 10 lbs. or less.
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work