Magnolia gym owner celebrating ‘small victory’ over nuisance RVs
Jan 24, 2017, 1:04 PM
Seattle Parking Enforcement no longer has officers in the field between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. (KIRO Radio)
(KIRO Radio)
When Joe Palumbo informed police about the nuisance RVs parked around his gym in Magnolia, he received an interesting and slightly disheartening response from police: There are no officers in the field to enforce “no parking” violations between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Palumbo, who moved his 3D Total Health from Interbay to a building along 20th Avenue West, received the following response to his complaints from an SPD Parking Enforcement officer:
The area Abandoned Vehicle Task Force parking enforcement officer (PEO) asked me to contact you to let you know that she has been chalking, tagging and re-chalking these vehicles. It appears to her that they are moving during the 2-5am hours given that they return to slightly different locations. In addition, during the days that she has clandestinely chalked, those marks are gone upon her return. The officer is continuing to chalk and tag these vehicles and has spoken to one of the vehicle occupants.
Parking Enforcement no longer has officers in the field between 11pm and 6 am, so we have no way to check on these vehicles between 2-5 to verify what the officer suspects is happening is indeed taking place. If the vehicles are parked in the “No Parking 2-5am” area between those hours, a call needs to be made to the non-emergency number so SPD sworn officers can respond. The non-emergency number is (206) 625-5011; choose option 2, then option 8 faster service. This number can also be used to report parking issues 24/7. When parking enforcement is in the field, SPD Dispatchers will send the closest PEO to take a look at the situation. This is the fastest response to any parking complaint, day or evening, that we can offer.
In other words, because there was no parking enforcement during that time, Palumbo would need to wake up early and be a witness to call in the infraction.
“It’s not a high priority on their list, I get it. And it’s kind of an out, as kind of the way I saw it,” Palumbo said. “Kind of like a Catch-22 — well there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Parking enforcement in Magnolia and beyond
SPD Spokesperson Sean Whitcomb told MyNorthwest that police provide parking enforcement services 24/7/365, as patrol officers are “fully capable of enforcing the parking code as needed and they do.” He declined to go into specifics of staffing but acknowledged that the SPD at one point added an overnight parking enforcement shift but removed it in September.
“Work volume and need dictated the shift to overnight and then away from it,” Whitcomb said. “People can count on us to look for the best possible solution. We’re not making due with what we have, we’re actually looking for longer term solutions.”
Related: Seattle program helps comfort homeless people in their final days
Palumbo responded to the SPD that he go to the gym at 2 a.m. and call the non-emergency line if necessary, though he expressed concern for his safety in what “could potentially be an inflammatory situation.”
Following the email response, and his coming forward to the press about his concerns, Palumbo said he found the four RVs parked directly outside his gym gone. Why?
“I really have no idea,” he said. “I’m sure part of it was [that we] kind of raising our voices and raising awareness as to what is going on on the ground level. I don’t have any definitive what happened, who ticketed them, who towed them, who talked to them. I’m not sure what the communication was.”
Whitcomb said the SPD’s West Precinct was aware of Palumbo’s situation and that it wasn’t unique. He advised anyone to call in criminal activity, whether it it is assocaited with RV’s, cars or otherwise.
“Beiong homeless all onto itself, that’s just a status condition, and that’s a much broader issue that the city is working toward finding a solution for under Mayor Murray’s leadership,” Whitcomb said. “We are all working together, however, criminal behavior and activity are not status issues and we as a police department investigate regardless of someone’s status. Regardless of if they are living in a condo, in ahome, in an apartment or in a car. Or in a tent.”
Palumbo is appreciating his “small victory.”
“So far so good and we’re continuing to truck along – cautiously,” he said. “I’m not taking it lightly, it’s kind of like a small victory. We’ll be diligent with it and we’ll be on it. The problem has not gone away. Basically, those RVs are probably parked in front of somebody else’s business right now, or they possibly could be so now they’re somebody else’s problem and that’s just not right.”
