North Las Vegas parking scofflaws beware: The city is coming after you.
Starting after the first of the year the city’s new Parking Services Division will be targeting abandoned and illegally parked vehicles, according to Serafin Calvo, the division’s manager.
Calvo told State of Nevada the pending crackdown aims to clean up areas where abandoned vehicles create eyesores and drag down property values.
“This is a quality of life issue,” he said. “There are a lot of residents who are frustrated because they want their neighborhoods cleaner.”
The creation of the parking division also frees up police resources, Calvo said. Previously the North Las Vegas Police Department had been responsible for dealing with abandoned and illegally parked vehicles.
“This isn’t a job for the police department to handle,” Calvo said. “Their resources are better used elsewhere, like fighting crime and catching the bad guys.”
Calvo said police receive nearly 2,000 complaints a year about abandoned cars, but he anticipates that number to grow once the parking division, which was created in the summer, becomes fully operational.
“I expect to receive a lot because we’re actually going to be advertising,” he said. “We’re letting people know we are there for that purpose.”
Calvo said the city will issue warnings in the beginning before writing citations and eventually towing illegally parked cars.
“A lot of times our residents aren’t aware that they are parking illegally," he said, "So, that’s why these types of conversations are important.”
He said that people will get citations for things like parking facing traffic, blocking the sidewalk or parking in a cul-de-sac.
The city provided funding for the launch of the eight-person division, which is expected to eventually become self-supporting through the fines it collects.
However, Calvo said the new office isn't about making money for the city. He said the biggest measure of success for the new program will be feedback from the public.
Serafin Calvo, heads new North Las Vegas Parking Division