Parking enforcement officers hit streets, give service

A lady hastily exited the Wandering Turtle Art Gallery & Gifts and asked, “Do I move it?” as she half jogged closer to her car. “The signs are very confusing.”

Brian Alexander, a parking enforcement officer for the City of Bloomington, stopped typing on his handheld computer and looked up from behind his sunglasses at the lady with a grin. 

He explained to her the rules of downtown parking. He pulled his handheld down to his side, and the lady relaxed her shoulders as she said thank you.

“You got it now though, right?” Alexander said.

Alexander has been a Parking Enforcement Officer for about four years with the City of Bloomington. 

Born and raised in Bloomington, he graduated from IU with a degree in park and
recreation management. 

He said he applied for the job because he enjoys the energy Bloomington has as well as the opportunity to be outside and away from a desk job. Not to mention the social aspect of the profession.

“You get to know a lot of people,” Alexander said.

“Hellos” and “How are yous” fill the street when Alexander makes his way through the downtown Square. He started work at 6:30 a.m., and after 10 and a half hours he calls it a day.

As he checked license plates and parking meters for violations, he received small talk along the way from recognizable faces. 

However, with every smile comes an equally disgruntled citizen.

“People get defensive just by seeing us,” Alexander said, wearing the standard white polo and khaki shorts. “I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do.”

Anyone who has parked illegally may have wanted to point the blame on someone else, especially the one who assigned it. That little ticket holding a price tag pressed behind a windshield wiper can ruin anyone’s day. 

But Alexander said he is only trying to help make parking more available for people and businesses.

“We’re really trying to open up spaces,” he said. “Of course, not everybody gets that.”
Although Alexander said he has heard stories of confrontations with officers and upset citizens, he said the worst case he has experienced is a few cuss words yelled at him through the windows of cars driving by. 

“I don’t get too much conflict,” he said. “By nature, I don’t like it.”

With his job, people give all kinds of excuses. 

Some people may think it is easy to get around parking officials, but Alexander said it is just luck if they do. 

When asked what he does if the car doesn’t have windshield wipers, he laughed and referred to motorcycles.

“You got to find a creative spot to put it,” he said, pointing to the edge of a car window.
Alexander said a few rules that confuse people are that parking enforcement officers do continue to ticket on Saturday along the Downtown Square. 

Also, once a person parks along a two-hour block, they cannot leave and park on that same block again that day or they will receive a ticket.

“It’s by far the most misunderstood rule,” he said.

Alexander said he wants people to know that parking officials are not out to get them or their money. They are there to help others. 

“We are public servants,” he said. “We want to help the public.” 

Raye Ann Cox, City of Bloomington parking enforcement manager, said the goal of parking enforcement is to enforce the city ordinances and to utilize spaces. She said to beware of where you park because rules may change throughout
the town.

“Hopefully in the process we can educate people on parking,” Cox said.