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‘booting’ and towing confrontations. “They don’t want to tell stories about PEOs (parking enforce-


ment officers) saving lives or handing out candy,” argues one prominent parking professional. “They want to tell stories about screaming parkers and the parking professional’s mistakes.” Let’s face it, confrontation TV sells, and focusing on the con-


flict does not positively promote the parking industry. However, Dan Flaherty, co-executive producer of the series, believes it does reflect positively on the parking industry. “I think it really humanizes the job,” he said. “Most [viewers] at first, will automatically side with the ‘vio-


lators.’ Everyone has gotten parking tickets, and no one likes get- ting them. Your instant reaction is to say, ‘Those people who give tickets are bad. They are just out there to get you.’ “What ‘ParkingWars’ has done is really turned that around,”


Flaherty said. “Now when people watch the show, they go, ‘Oh, these are actually real human beings, with real feelings, and are out there doing a real job.’” PPAenforcement officers seem to agree. In “‘ParkingWars’


Personalities Enjoying Better Treatment,” Hadas Kuznits of KYW Newsradio 1060 in Philadelphia reported several PPA employ- ees’ comments on how the series has garnered them nice reac- tions from people on the streets. “It’s nice that people, instead of cursing us, will come up and


shake our hand,” said the PPA’s Sherry Royal. Colleague Steve Garfield added: “They’ll ask Sherry how her


kids are, and me about my cat, because that was on the show. So I think that has made us much more likeable. People don’t hate us nearly as much as they used to,” he said. Flaherty said the series not only attempts to humanize park- ing enforcement professionals, it also educates the public on the


importance of parking enforcement, as well as the result of not paying your parking tickets. “I think people understand the ‘boot’ process as a result of


the show. How they are likely to get caught if they don’t pay their parking tickets,” he said. “ParkingWars” has been helpful not only in educating the


public, but also been in educating employees. The original Hybrid Films documentary on A&E was used for years by the PPAfor training new hires. PPAmanagement also has used the show to change some of


their procedures, such as dealing with the public while applying the boot. “Management doesn’t always have eyes in the street. It’s been very helpful for them to see it,” Flaherty said. Love it or hate it, the series does bring the parking profes-


sion and the need for parking professionals to the masses. Said Flaherty: “I think people understand the importance of parking enforcement and understand that those who do this job are human beings. “Even people who aren’t on the show but do that job or a


similar job, [say they] get a kick out seeing their job being repre- sented that way. That’s what I think the show has done for the parking industry.” We would have to agree with Flaherty. While confrontation


may be the focus of “ParkingWars,” the humanizing of the job and the educating of the public override the silly banter, and that’s why we think parking wins this round.


Isaiah Mouw and Matthew Clay work for Republic Parking System. Contact them at imouw@republicparking.com or at mclay@republicparking.com.


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