Parking Enforcement Workers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Enter and retrieve information pertaining to vehicle registration, identification, and status, using hand-held computers.
• Investigate and answer complaints regarding contested parking citations, determining their validity and routing them appropriately.
• Investigate and answer complaints regarding contested parking citations, determining their validity and routing them appropriately.
• Provide assistance to motorists needing help with problems, such as flat tires, keys locked in cars, or dead batteries.
• Prepare and maintain required records, including logs of parking enforcement activities, and records of contested citations.
• Assign and review the work of subordinates.
• Collect coins deposited in meters.
• Perform traffic control duties such as setting up barricades and temporary signs, placing bags on parking meters to limit their use, or directing traffic.
• Maintain close communications with dispatching personnel, using two-way radios or cell phones.
• Respond to and make radio dispatch calls regarding parking violations and complaints.
• Write warnings and citations for illegally parked vehicles.
• Patrol an assigned area by vehicle or on foot to ensure public compliance with existing parking ordinance.
• Locate lost, stolen, and counterfeit parking permits, and take necessary enforcement action.
• Make arrangements for illegally parked or abandoned vehicles to be towed, and direct tow-truck drivers to the correct vehicles.
• Train new or temporary staff.
• Perform simple vehicle maintenance procedures, such as checking oil and gas, and report mechanical problems to supervisors.
• Provide information to the public regarding parking regulations and facilities, and the location of streets, buildings and points of interest.
• Identify vehicles in violation of parking codes, checking with dispatchers when necessary to confirm identities or to determine whether vehicles need to be booted or towed.
• Investigate and answer complaints regarding contested parking citations, determining their validity and routing them appropriately.
• Appear in court at hearings regarding contested traffic citations.
• Wind parking meter clocks.
• Identify vehicles in violation of parking codes, checking with dispatchers when necessary to confirm identities or to determine whether vehicles need to be booted or towed.
• Perform traffic control duties such as setting up barricades and temporary signs, placing bags on parking meters to limit their use, or directing traffic.
• Make arrangements for illegally parked or abandoned vehicles to be towed, and direct tow-truck drivers to the correct vehicles.
• Mark tires of parked vehicles with chalk and record time of marking, and return at regular intervals to ensure that parking time limits are not exceeded.
• Maintain assigned equipment and supplies, such as hand-held citation computers, citation books, rain gear, tire-marking chalk, and street cones.
• Observe and report hazardous conditions, such as missing traffic signals or signs, and street markings that need to be repainted.

Skills

• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.

Abilities

• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.

Knowledge

• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

70310/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

33.8/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

310

Yearly Projected Openings

40

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Self Control
• Integrity
• Independence
• Attention to Detail
• Stress Tolerance
• Dependability

Tools

• Automobiles or cars
• Bar code reader equipment
• Cash registers
• Desktop computers
• Digital cameras
• Laser printers
• Mountain bicycles
• Notebook computers
• Parking meters
• Point of sale POS receipt printers
• Portable data input terminals
• Security cameras
• Two way radios
• Wheel clamps

Technology

• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Internet browser software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software