By Staff
PARKING VIOLATIONS n Mel Oubre, a Meridian Police Department volunteer, said more tickets are written for handicap parking violations during the holiday season because of increased traffic to malls and department stores. Photo by Marianne Todd/The Meridian Star
By Marianne Todd/The Meridian Star
Dec. 10, 2000
John Flynt of Laurel is both angered and pleased to see a uniformed handicap parking patrolman writing tickets at Bonita Lakes Mall.
Oubre thanks Flynt and explains his reason for braving the cold to patrol parking lots, looking for violators.
Oubre is the coordinator for 17 other volunteers who regularly donate their time, cars and gas to search out driver's in violation of handicap parking laws.
Response from shoppers is usually good, he said.
The words are barely out of his mouth as Henry Thompson passes by, holding a Sears shopping bad under one arm.
Oubre spots a car parked illegally in a handicap place. He takes the tag number, writes the citation and puts the ticket in the windshield of the car.
The owner exits the mall and is less than happy.
During holiday periods when the number of shoppers and cars increase, so do citations from Oubre's team of ticket writers.
Marianne Todd is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at mtodd@themeridianstar.com.