Ask an Officer: Parking Tickets, Cars Near Intersections

If you have questions for the Prince William County Police Department, we'll pass them along to Officer Jonathan Perok and First Sgt. Kim Chinn, public information officers with the department.

Questions can be asked anonymously. Submit your questions to us via e-mail at laurenj at patch.com, by posting a comment on this article, or by sending us a Tweet or a message on our Facebook page. 

Question: For the working middle class, why doesn’t your "parking enforcement" branch have a one warning system? I am fairly new to this area, and commute into D.C. like many others. After getting back to my car, I noticed a parking violation on my windshield. I had a vanity plate instead of my front license plate and was issued a violation because of it. Where I come from, police are an engrained part of the community, not a faceless revenue stream. A first-time warning would have been a nice gesture. Instead, this bitter taste lingers in my mouth.

Answer: Prince William County Police does not have a warning system in place in regard to parking ticket enforcement. It is the responsibility of the driver, as a resident of their respective state, to learn what is or is not against the law. In ordering the plates for your vehicle, you should have received two license plates with instructions to display on both the rear and front of your vehicle. Our police department strives to be fair and impartial when it comes to enforcement and it is our duty to enforce the law. Enforcement is not revenue-driven and the laws are in place for the safety and security of the entire community. You may contest the ticket in court if you wish and the instructions to do so are on your copy of the citation.

Question: The area I have a question about is Central Park Drive right off of Minnieville Road (across from Delaney Road).  Vehicles parked on the right side of Central Park Drive (going in) are frequently parked less than 10 feet from the corner of Minnieville Road.  If vehicles are coming out of Central Park Drive to turn on to Minnieville, and vehicles want to turn in, often there is not enough room to make the turn until the intersection clears.  The curb is not painted yellow to indicate no parking is allowed.  Is there a law against parking so close to a main road?

Answer: According to county code section 13-320, vehicles cannot park “within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection; provided that, where there is no crosswalk at an intersection, no person shall park a vehicle within 20 feet from the intersection of curblines or, if none, within 15 feet of the intersection of property lines.” If the vehicles are parking within 10 feet, that is a violation. You can call the non-emergency line at 703-792-6500 to report it.