Court Rules Parking Enforcement Officers Who Look at License Plates Violate the Constitution

CINCINNATI, OH A three-judge panel of the 12th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati rules that parking officers who look at a license plate constitutes an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment. The ruling affects Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. “Under our Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it states anyone charged with a penal offence such as parking is innocent until proved guilty,” said Circuit Judge Bernie Donaldson. “These parking enforcement officers are looking at your plates and typing them into their handhelds as if you were guilty.” The case from 2018 was originally brought by Taylor Anderson in Lansing, Michigan. “I got like 20 tickets and it like was giving me anxiety,” said Anderson. “This is America and we like have rights. I should be able to park my car, well it’s actually my daddy’s car, but I should be able to like park anywhere I want anytime and for free.” DeMarcus Parker, Executive Director for the National Federation of Parking, Mobility, Transportation, Micro-Mobility and Commuter Professionals (NFPMTMMCP), responded late Sunday night, “We at NFPMTMMCP strongly disagree with the court’s ruling. Everyone from drivers to residents to local businesses benefits greatly when parking laws are enforced. The parking community is unable to enforce these laws when unable to look at the vehicles.”