Nov 20, 2009 6:27 pm US/Eastern
I-Team: Handicapped Parking Abusers Lose License
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The I-Team gets swift action after a two month investigation this summer involving jail officers parking illegally in spots designated for the disabled.
Read: The Original I-Team Report
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Jonathan Depina hops in his car and takes off, but he won't be behind the wheel for 30 days because his license is suspended.
It's the direct result of our I-Team investigation, where we caught Depina and other Suffolk County Sheriff's Dept. employees parking illegally in handicapped spots outside of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
The former UMass basketball star isn't disabled at all, he jogs across the street to work his shift as a correction's officer at the Suffolk Co. Jail and leaves his car illegally parked, using a disabled teen's placard, day after day.
Depina's taking spots away from people like Stacy Rogers and Rob Park.
DISABLED PLEASED
They welcome the punishment handed down by the State.
"I'm certainly glad their licenses were suspended. I'm hoping it's a deterrent for the future. It'll start people thinking about how important those spots are for people with disabilities," says Stacy.
Rob Park adds, "I'm thrilled cause it shows when people do something wrong there are consequences for actions."
I-TEAM CATCHES OTHER OFFENDERS
Jonathan Depina's not the only Sheriff's Department Employee we caught breaking the law.
Renita Dudley Herbin on another day parked in a handicap spot, grabbing a coffee and heading to work at the jail. She has a placard but it's not hers, another case of fraud involving employees working at the Suffolk County Jail. Herbin and Andrea Long also had their drivers licenses suspended for 30 days.
We tried to get answers from the Sheriff on camera. Her car was parked in her allotted space, but when we asked about the employees cars in illegal spaces we received this statement saying:
"Any discipline that is meted out is an internal matter and as such we will not comment publicly on it."
THE RMV'S TAKE
Registrar Rachel Kaprielian says, "When you think of someone with a disability placard this is not a luxury for them, this is not a convenience for them, this is a necessity and when an abled bodied person takes a space that is a space that someone who needs it can't have."
The Registrar also says the RMV and law enforcement know all too well that handicapped parking abuse is a problem that takes coordinated surveillance to investigate and that the public can help with this problem by keeping their eyes open and reporting any problems to the State.
Report Disabled Parking Abuse
Make your voice heard. Click here to comment on this story and read comments left by others.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments