Receiving a parking ticket is never great. As a nonmoving violation, a parking ticket doesn’t go on your driving record, but you still must pay a fine.
Normally, you’d just walk back to your parked car to find the parking ticket pinned under your vehicle’s windshield wiper. However, there might be an occasion where you’ll run into the parking control officer just about to place the ticket.
Trying to talk your way out of the ticket is tempting, but be careful if things get heated. Assaulting a parking control officer results in criminal penalties that are more severe than regular assault.
The law on assaulting parking control officers
According to California law, it’s a criminal offense to assault a parking control officer while they’re in the middle of their duties. The person committing the offense must reasonably know that the victim they’re assaulting is a parking control officer for a charge to stick.
The penalties for assaulting a parking control officer
If a person is convicted of assaulting a parking control officer, they face up to $2,000 in fines, imprisonment for up to six months or both. This is the same enhanced penalty levied on those convicted of assaulting a peace officer, firefighter, EMT, animal control officer or search and rescue member.
By comparison, a regular assault offense is punishable by up to $1,000 in fines or imprisonment for up to six months.
Assaulting a parking control officer may not sound like much of a crime, but the punishments are real. The assault offense will also go to a person’s criminal record, which can hurt their future employment and financial opportunities, while a simple parking ticket won’t. It’s never worth injuring a parking control officer.
But if you face charges, consider seeking the guidance of a legal professional who may be able to advise you on your case.