Handicops (Bull$hit)

[Pedro56]

Probe into misuse of handicapped spots zeroes in on police employees

January 18, 2007
BY STEPHANIE ZIMMERMANN Staff Reporter

The Chicago Police Department is investigating a handful of police employees for suspected misuse of disabled parking signs, a department spokeswoman said this week.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Department of Revenue has begun taking down disabled parking signs that were issued to people who have died or moved away.

Both actions follow a Sun-Times investigation into abuse of the program.

Chicago Revenue Director Bea Reyna-Hickey said her department has been comparing parking permits with databases from the Social Security Administration and the Illinois Secretary of State to find unused disabled signs and ferret out cheaters.

Chicago Police canine officer Robert Frano exits his patrol van outside his North Side home.
(Sun-Times)

So far, officials have found a first batch of 238 signs that do not appear to be valid. The permit holders were sent three letters asking for a response, and the city now is preparing to remove those signs, Reyna-Hickey said. Another group of 210 will be submitted for removal shortly, she said.

Signs marking a disabled spot in the 2100 block of West Coulter -- registered to the late Imelda Guzman, who died about three years ago -- were removed recently. The space had been used regularly by Chicago Police Officer Maria S. Guzman, who is not disabled. Guzman and her husband, Miguel A. Guzman, a civilian employee in the department's C.A.P.S. program, are being investigated for their use of the disabled space, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.

Maria S. Guzman told the Sun-Times last fall that she only parked her 2005 Land Rover in the space during times when her disabled father-in-law was at the residence.

Nearly 10% invalid
The department also is looking into Robert Frano, a police canine officer, who regularly parks a large Chicago Police van in a disabled spot -- belonging to his ex-wife -- in front of his house in the 2500 block of North Neva.

Frano, who is not disabled, told the Sun-Times he has asked the city to take down the signs.

"Those are my ex-wife's," he said Friday. "I've notified the city to take them down, and they just haven't gotten around to it yet."

Another officer being looked at is Joe D. Parker of the Traffic Division, who has a disabled spot in the 2700 block of West 86th Place, even though he is cleared for regular duties with the department, Bond said.

Parker had suffered injuries in a car accident three years ago but is now "deemed fit for duty," Bond said. Last Thursday, Parker had two cars, one with a disabled license plate, parked in the disabled space.

In its investigation, the Sun-Times found that nearly 10 percent -- 1,097 -- of the 11,423 disabled spots on city rolls last year were at addresses where no nearby resident holds a state-issued disabled license plate or parking credential, as required by law.

A review of active city permits turns up 260 spaces set aside for dead people -- many times in congested neighborhoods. Some of those spaces are being removed by the city, but as of late October more than half remained, leaving 131 disabled parking spots for people who are dead. In some cases, the permit holder has been dead five years or more.

Reyna-Hickey said the department has to be careful not to remove valid signs, only to have to re-install them at taxpayer expense.

Contributing: Eric Herman

[Pedro56]

Ok, so here goes the Media Jag offs again posing us in a bad light. If you actually read the article you will see that the coppers x-wife was handicapped, and she moved out some time ago and has been trying to get the city to take down the sign. Of course our city being our city, they can't do anything with any type of efficiency. Here is why I think the city leaves these signs up, that 5' tall Irish dictator we call a Mayor uses it to gain revenue. Plain and simple.

[Ducky]

Looks like the media is the one zeroing in on cops, even the ones who've done nothing wrong. But then, what's new about that?

[Piggybank Cop]

"In its investigation, the Sun-Times found that nearly 10 percent -- 1,097 -- of the 11,423 disabled spots on city rolls last year were at addresses where no nearby resident holds a state-issued disabled license plate or parking credential, as required by law."

Kind of like their voting registers.

[Star Man]

Looks like the media is the one zeroing in on cops, even the ones who've done nothing wrong. But then, what's new about that?

NADA DAMN THING!!

[BEB]

Ok, I was completely unaware of this practice. So a disabled person can get the city to issue them a sign outside their house so only they can park there? Can any disabled person have the spot or just the person it was assigned to?

Or am I completely misunderstanding the sign? Is this common around the country?

[Jackalope]

The whole idea of personal parking spots on a public street is stupid. Surely the Chicago media can find a bigger problem to worry about.

[Pedro56]

Ok, I was completely unaware of this practice. So a disabled person can get the city to issue them a sign outside their house so only they can park there? Can any disabled person have the spot or just the person it was assigned to?

Or am I completely misunderstanding the sign? Is this common around the country?

Yes, if my kid became handicapped I could get a spot in front of my house designated for handicapped parking. Let's say we move out though, we have to request a new sign at the new location and the old one isn't taken down. How would you like to be that copper though and get your morning paper seeing yourself on the cover.

[BEB]

I suppose if he'd taken the sign down himself he'd be trouble too, maybe more.
Whole world's a upside-down insane cake with a red tape topping.

[CT209]

I suppose if he'd taken the sign down himself he'd be trouble too, maybe more.
Whole world's a upside-down insane cake with a red tape topping.

I don't know- I think I'd have taken the sign down. The ex probably won it in the divorce anyway!

[General Patten]

I suppose if he'd taken the sign down himself he'd be trouble too, maybe more.
Whole world's a upside-down insane cake with a red tape topping.

yeah... I could forsee it turning into some sort of anti-handicapped hate crime/vandalism crap if someone snapped a pic of him taking down the sign... media wouldve had a blast with that one...