March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 46 F

Handicapped Parking Guide Available

The Anne Arundel County Commission on Disability Issues, in cooperation with the Anne Arundel County Police Department and Operation HIDE, announces the availability of handicapped parking guides. These guides emphasize that unlawfully using a handicapped parking space, for even a short period of time, is illegal. It can create a safety issue for individuals with disabilities that depend on the safe harbor these spaces provide.

The guide also stresses that individuals with disabilities that use the temporary windshield placard or handicapped license plates must carry the matching identification card on their person at all times when using the placard as required by law. This ID card indentifies the eligible individual who has been assigned the license plates or placard.

“The Commission recognizes that people are not only parking illegally in handicapped spaces without tags or placards, but non-disabled friends and family members routinely abuse handicapped parking laws by borrowing the car with tags or borrowing the windshield placard,” says Joan Heinicke, Commission vice chairman. “The Commission applauds the work of the Police Department and encourages the public to be vigilant about handicapped parking abuses which create a safety issue for those who truly depend on these spaces.”

Anyone witnessing a potential violation of the handicapped parking laws should contact Anne Arundel County Police at 410-222-8610. The Police Department has initiated an almost yearlong operation to cut down on fraudulent use of handicap placards and tags through “Operation HIDE” (Handicap ID Enforcement). It will continue through Nov. 20, 2011. Uniformed officers will target handicap parking violations at shopping centers and malls in the county.

To order a copy of the handicapped parking guide, call the Americans with Disabilities Act Office at the county Department of Aging and Disabilities at 410-222-4383. TTY users can call via Maryland Relay 7-1-1.

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