Why Would They Bother?

 

This morning, across Columbia Street from the farmers market, I did my best to get the attention of both Hudson police officers in the two HPD vehicles in succession that passed a white car parked on Columbia headed in the wrong direction (I won't say it was parked on the wrong side of the street since there is no parking ever allowed on the south side of Columbia).  My efforts were in vain -- both cop cars (SUV's really) continued past 6th Street, though the officers driving were in no rush to get anywhere. 

It's certainly possible that neither cop saw me waving my arms and pointing at the illegally and dangerously parked car.  What is more likely, though, is that at least one of the cops noticed me (I can't imagine the cop in the first car didn't) but decided it wasn't worth stopping.  Why?  Because, typically, Hudson cops have no means to issue parking tickets while on patrol in their hi-tech, gadget filled  (including a printer!) vehicles.  They can, and do, issue moving violation tickets to drivers they spot driving illegally.  But what about issuing tickets to vehicles they notice, or are shown, that are parked illegally?  Not possible! And it is as simple and ridiculous as that.  Also, if I had no clothes on, was drinking from a vodka bottle or urinating on the sidewalk this morning at 6th & Columbia (or all of the above), both of those cops would have stopped and issued me a violation ticket or three, printed out right inside one of their vehicles.  But a parking ticket, even one for a dangerously parked car?  No can do, not right away at least.  Not unless the cop drives back to 701 Union, grabs a charged ticket machine (with printer!) and returns to the scene of the parking crime... if the parking crime is still in progress.  

So, why would a cop in a vehicle ever bother stopping to do something about an illegally parked vehicle they notice?  And why would any patrol cop bother driving all the way back to the station (that they may have just come from) and return 10 or 15 minutes later with a ticket machine to issue a lousy $15 parking ticket, especially if there's a chance the vehicle will be gone?  Why would they even be on the lookout for illegally parked vehicles if it's not a simple thing to do and probably considered a hassle and possible waste of time and effort?

Then there is this.  Each HPD vehicles has a mounted scanner gun that is able to read the registrations and inspection stickers of all passing vehicles.  Instantaneously, officers can be notified if a vehicle has an expired registration or is in need of an inspection.  The officer can then pull the vehicle over and issue the driver a warning or a ticket (HPD does a lot of this, a lot more than they enforce the speed limit downtown).  But there are no HPD vehicles that are equipped to issue and PRINT a parking ticket, whether it be for parking on the sidewalk, parking in a crosswalk, parking in front of a fire hydrant or parking headed in the wrong direction.  And so, I think that is why we see so many people parking illegally in downtown Hudson -- there simply isn't the will and effort at HPD to put an end to it.  Because, it seems to me, in the year 2025 and with all the advances in technology at our fingertips, a Hudson cop out on patrol in a vehicle that contains a computer and a printer should have no problem issuing a parking ticket within a minute or two of coming across an illegally parked vehicle.  I also can't imagine that our current Police Chief hasn't thought to herself at least once that there has got to be a way for officers in patrol vehicles to be able to print and issue parking tickets without returning to the station to grab a parking ticket machine.  Surely, there is an easy fix to what is obviously a missing tool of law and parking enforcement, not to mention a means of increasing revenue for a little city in serious need of all it can get.

The driver of this parked car exited
Kitty's about one minute after I took the picture.
As I recall, the car had New Hampshire plates!

Finally, there is this head scratcher.  Parking enforcers, with their parking ticket machines in hand, cannot and do not issue expired registration or expired inspection tickets to parked vehicles.  Apparently, if a vehicle isn't moving, it's not a problem for it to be in the City of Hudson without properly registered plates or a valid inspection sticker.  Or both at the same time.  Of course, as even our Police Chief must know, all parked vehicles are merely at rest between the act of being driven.