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What does a parking enforcement officer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a parking enforcement officer do

A parking enforcement officer is responsible for monitoring parking lots, ramps, and streets to make sure that drivers adhere to the parking laws and regulations. It is their duty to patrol assigned areas and monitor parking meters, issuing citations on improperly or illegally parked vehicles. There are also times when they must call for towing services, assess suspicious vehicles and scan their plates, and testify in courts as necessary. Moreover, a parking enforcement officer must maintain records of all issued tickets and respond to concerns professionally.

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Parking enforcement officer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real parking enforcement officer resumes:

  • Work directly with police officers, violations bureau, and court officials to achieve proper responses to valid subpoenas.
  • Develop and manage firearms training programs, including weapons selection and qualification standards.
  • Operate and maintain equipment (weed eaters, blowers, push mowers, chain saws, groomer).
  • Develop technical skills by operating forklifts, skid loaders and tractors regularly.
  • Impound vehicles for state and local violations, train new employees, other duties as required.
  • Utilize CCTV, conduct investigations, work with local police and represent the company in court.
  • Conduct plumbing, electrical, rodent, health hazard and hazard waste inspections in the home and businesses.
  • Impound illegally park or abandon vehicles.
  • Perform electrical and plumbing repairs within terminal.
  • Patrol assign areas to enforce parking regulations and restrictions.
  • Issue administrative subpoenas or initiate action to obtain court order subpoenas as needed.
  • Patrol designate parking areas thoroughly and diligently for purposes of monitoring, regulating and controlling parking.
  • Create simulations for force-on-force firearms training/defensive tactics for customers and train the trainers at Police/Sheriff departments.
  • Issue environmental control, criminal court, and parking violations summonses for minor violations and quality of life offenses.
  • Perform alcohol checks on NYC beaches and parks.

Parking enforcement officer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of Parking Enforcement Officers are proficient in Parking Enforcement, Patrol, and Motor Vehicle. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Empathy, and Good judgment.

We break down the percentage of Parking Enforcement Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Parking Enforcement, 21%

    Provide reception to incoming and outgoing customers and communication regarding parking enforcement codes and laws.

  • Patrol, 17%

    Patrol designated parking areas thoroughly and diligently for purposes of monitoring, regulating and controlling parking.

  • Motor Vehicle, 12%

    Provided customer service during on and off-street enforcement of parking laws and ordinances on foot and by motor vehicle.

  • General Supervision, 12%

    Relied on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job; worked under general supervision.

  • Traffic Control, 11%

    Patrolled K-State campus for improper parking and cited violators-Provided vehicle assistance when needed-Worked traffic control for special events

  • Law Enforcement, 4%

    Reported and suspicious activities too Security and Law enforcement.

Most parking enforcement officers use their skills in "parking enforcement," "patrol," and "motor vehicle" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential parking enforcement officer responsibilities here:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a parking enforcement officer to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what parking enforcement officers do because "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." Additionally, a parking enforcement officer resume shows how parking enforcement officers use communication skills: "enforce local and state parking laws and regulations customer service and communication report suspicious activity to police headquarters"

Empathy. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling parking enforcement officer duties is empathy. The role rewards competence in this skill because "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public." According to a parking enforcement officer resume, here's how parking enforcement officers can utilize empathy in their job responsibilities: "assist the public in understanding building codes and town zoning ordinances. "

Good judgment. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of parking enforcement officers is good judgment. This skill is critical to many everyday parking enforcement officer duties, as "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "worked under general supervision, and exercised reasonable initiative and independent judgment. "

Leadership skills. For certain parking enforcement officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "leadership skills." The day-to-day duties of a parking enforcement officer rely on this skill, as "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what parking enforcement officers do: "field training officer: (fto) provided leadership and guidance to trainees. "

Physical strength. Another crucial skill for a parking enforcement officer to carry out their responsibilities is "physical strength." A big part of what parking enforcement officers relies on this skill, since "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." How this skill relates to parking enforcement officer duties can be seen in an example from a parking enforcement officer resume snippet: "perform physical inspection of commercial vehicles documenting compliance and issued citations when required. "

Most common parking enforcement officer skills

The three companies that hire the most parking enforcement officers are:

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Compare different parking enforcement officers

Parking enforcement officer vs. Detective

A detective is responsible for conducting in-depth investigations for criminal activities, potential threats, and other law-violating incidents, coordinating closely with law-enforcement agencies and crime intelligence analysts. Detectives often work on the field, gathering data and related evidence to support claims and connect the timeline of events. They keep an organized record of their findings for further validation before reporting it to the authority. A detective must have excellent investigative and critical-thinking skills, especially on solving puzzles and security solutions.

We looked at the average parking enforcement officer salary and compared it with the wages of a detective. Generally speaking, detectives are paid $19,229 higher than parking enforcement officers per year.Even though parking enforcement officers and detectives are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require patrol, public safety, and incident reports in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, parking enforcement officer responsibilities require skills like "parking enforcement," "motor vehicle," "general supervision," and "traffic control." Meanwhile a typical detective has skills in areas such as "physical evidence," "law enforcement agencies," "crime scenes," and "insurance fraud." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

The education levels that detectives earn slightly differ from parking enforcement officers. In particular, detectives are 4.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a parking enforcement officer. Additionally, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Parking enforcement officer vs. Deputy

The duties of a deputy vary on their line of work or place of employment. In law enforcement, a deputy is primarily in charge of conducting investigations on crimes and arresting criminals, performing regular patrols on streets, responding to calls of distress, and assisting citizens in calamities, disasters, accidents, or any forms of threat. There are also instances when a deputy must serve court documents, transport detainees or suspected criminals, and monitor courtrooms. Furthermore, a deputy reports to higher-ranking officers such as a sheriff.

A career as a deputy brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a parking enforcement officer. In fact, deputies salary is $14,927 higher than the salary of parking enforcement officers per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Parking enforcement officers and deputies both require similar skills like "patrol," "motor vehicle," and "traffic control" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, parking enforcement officer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "parking enforcement," "general supervision," "law enforcement," and "customer service." Meanwhile, a deputy has duties that require skills in areas such as "transport inmates," "cpr," "federal laws," and "law enforcement agencies." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Deputies earn a higher average salary than parking enforcement officers. But deputies earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $53,877. Additionally, parking enforcement officers earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $42,420 annually.In general, deputies achieve higher levels of education than parking enforcement officers. They're 8.9% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Parking enforcement officer vs. Assets protection specialist

An assets protection specialist is an individual who is responsible for implementing safety and environmental programs to their assigned store or multiple stores as well as prevent financial loss caused by theft and fraud. Asset protection specialists are required to monitor the store's physical security and audit electronic article surveillance. They also prepare accurate and detailed case reports and interact with law enforcement as well as testify in criminal and civil court actions. Asset protection specialists must also report any hazardous or unsafe condition to the manager on duty.

An average assets protection specialist eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of parking enforcement officers. The difference in salaries amounts to assets protection specialists earning a $3,619 higher average salary than parking enforcement officers.Using the responsibilities included on parking enforcement officers and assets protection specialists resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patrol," "customer service," and "emergency situations.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a parking enforcement officer is likely to be skilled in "parking enforcement," "motor vehicle," "general supervision," and "traffic control," while a typical assets protection specialist is skilled in "cctv," "physical security," "exception reports," and "criminal justice."

Assets protection specialists earn the highest salary when working in the retail industry, where they receive an average salary of $34,400. Comparatively, parking enforcement officers have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $42,420.assets protection specialists typically earn similar educational levels compared to parking enforcement officers. Specifically, they're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Parking enforcement officer vs. Criminal investigator

A criminal investigator is a law enforcement professional who endeavors to solve felony crimes. Criminal investigators may work alone or as a member of an investigative team whose goal is to uncover the certainty of a case and potentially keep suspects to prevent the ensuing criminal activity. Their tasks and responsibilities depend on various job functions and specialties. They may specialize in the information and evidence of a crime scene, conduct interviews and searches, or perform surveillance.

Criminal investigators typically earn higher pay than parking enforcement officers. On average, criminal investigators earn a $15,765 higher salary per year.While both parking enforcement officers and criminal investigators complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like patrol, two way radios, and summonses, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A parking enforcement officer uses "parking enforcement," "motor vehicle," "general supervision," and "traffic control." Criminal investigators are more likely to have duties that require skills in "investigative reports," "resourcefulness," "firearms," and "treasury. "criminal investigators enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $52,921. For comparison, parking enforcement officers earn the highest salary in the professional industry.The average resume of criminal investigators showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to parking enforcement officers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 7.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.7%.

Types of parking enforcement officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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