Employees at the California Department of Motor Vehicles are reportedly using disabled parking placards, gaming the system for plum spots.
An investigation launched five months ago by FOX 40 in Sacramento found that DMV employee Heather Newman was cited for parking with someone else's disability placard.
"I don't want to explain my story to you, and it’s not a story that you think," Newman told the station as an officer wrote her a ticket. "I don't want to be on TV, I'm sorry."
DMV spokesman Mike Marando said Newman was fined for parking in the space and was given appropriate disciplinary action by the department. But he refused an on-camera interview, saying Newman's case was an isolated incident.
A subsequent check of public records for employees abusing parking placards in the past two years revealed at least one case where a vehicle did not match the placard inside the vehicle. A DMV employee was then spotted getting behind the wheel of the vehicle.
“OK, first of all, I'm not parking with something that's not mine," the unidentified female employee said. "And you need to walk away."
A parking officer in Sacramento saw things differently, and wrote the woman a ticket.
According to court records, Newman was fined $1,025 for the parking infraction. When asked how many other employees are cheating the city, she replied, "No comment."
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