As the number of handicap parking permits has exploded in Michigan, a Free Press examination found that enforcement of handicap parking laws is haphazard at best with little control or oversight by the Secretary of State's Office.
The paper reviewed more than 41,000 parking tickets from 21 law enforcement agencies or courts, in-person observation, interviews and a survey of 10 other states' handicap parking programs.
As it stands, the system in Michigan invites fraud and abuse. Other states are much more aggressive about protecting handicap parking spaces for the people who need them.
Michael Harris of Westland, executive director of the 500-member Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, told the paper that after health care, handicap parking "is our No. 1 issue, by far. We get so frustrated -- you can't do anything if you don't have the proper spots."
