State issues report on handicap placards after FOX25 Investigates
by: Sharman Sacchetti Updated:
Just one week after FOX25's report about the abuse of handicap placards, the state Inspector General Glenn Cunha has unveiled a brand new report.
The Inspector General's Office is recommending some ways to fix the handicap placard abuse. His new report found misuse across Boston, costing the city millions of dollars. The new report also said the state makes it too easy for people to abuse and misuse the placards, taking precious parking spots from people who really need them.
The Burlington Police showed Sharman Sacchetti a stack of forged, counterfeit and even photocopied placards. In one case, police ticketed a driver for using a placard that belonged to a woman who died five years ago.
Among the recommendations in Wednesday's report included:
- Toughening Massachusetts' placard laws, translating into higher fines and making it a crime to use a dead person's placard.
- Implementing a two-tiered placard system to cut down on parking meter abuse.
- Only certain individuals would get a "meter-free" placard.
- Revising and strengthening the registry's placard application process.
SEE THE FULL REPORT HERE
Cunha's previous report recommended a placard abuse task force. That group now meets quarterly and is set to come up with its recommendations by the end of the year.
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