Round Rock, Texas, citizens allowed to pass out parking tickets

[MarketNeutral]

http://weareaustin.com/content/fulltext/?cid=58001

Volunteers will soon start issuing parking tickets in Round Rock. The Round Rock city council recently passed an ordinance that allows non-sworn officers the ability to write tickets.


Drivers may not park in the same spot for more than two hours in some areas of downtown Round Rock. But some business owners see the same cars parked in the same spots the entire day.


“It takes away potential parking spaces for customers,” Sam David Paxman of Advanced Armorment said.


The city council passed the ordinance to enforce the rules and free-up capacity for uniformed Round Rock police officers.

However, any non-sworn staff member or volunteer that issues tickets will be monitored and trained.


Still, some drivers are opposed to the new ordinance.


“I like Round Rock, downtown, the way it is,” Nancy Pena said. “I like not being overly-policed like we are in Austin.


Others do not want to see volunteers with too much ticketing authority.


“If Round Rock decides to hire a police officer to write tickets that are out here longer than two hours, they’re part of the police force, but if someone personally gave me a ticket I would rip it up and throw it away,” Lara McKeown said.


There is a free downtown parking garage for consumers to use.


Meantime, the mayor is still spreading the word about the new ordinance to business owners.

[Low_five]

and THAT is why I left Austin and moved to Kodiak, Alaska.

[Ponce]

That's like the Nazis in the US..........where will "those" people hide?, in the other hand "they" are probably the ones giving out the tickets.

[I am me, I am free]

A FYI: Advanced Armament happens to be a gunshop, so what we have here is a gun shop owner praising the expansion of the corporate state with non-public servants as enforcement agents.

In Texas, impersonating a public servant is a felony (it is highly unlikely these 'volunteers' have either proper oaths or bonds). Someone who falls victim to this crap should petition a grand jury to indict anyone impersonating a public servant.

[Ponce]

Don't worry, like in the old west they will deputice everyone around.

[Wandering Wastrel]

A FYI: Advanced Armament happens to be a gunshop, so what we have here is a gun shop owner praising the expansion of the corporate state with non-public servants as enforcement agents.
If the owner had made any further comments that made it clear he thought it was overall not a good idea, I'm sure the reporter or the reporter's editor would cut them out.

Talking to a reporter is just as bad as talking to a cop. They'll use just the portions of what you say that make you look the way they want you to look.