Just doing my job: a day in the life of a parking enforcement officer

There's nothing like a parking ticket to make your blood … boil.

You see that little yellow slip under the windshield and … 'How dare you suggest, that I cannot leave my car — nay my chariot — here! I was just ten minutes over!'

And that brings us to those in the line of fire: the parking enforcement officer. 

A few months back, CBC producer Karen Chen signed up to receive the Toronto Police Service news releases. And every other week she would see one about a parking enforcement officer — or their car — being attacked.

She began to wonder: What's it like to have one of society's most hated jobs?

So she decided to find out.

​Drivers behaving badly! Join Toronto Parking Enforcement Officer Kirsten Edgerton in this quiz to find out — just how bad is the behaviour of some in the motoring public?  

About the producer

Karen Chen is a curious person with a bad eavesdropping habit (a.k.a. a reporter). She was one of the founding producers of Out in the Open and has also worked for The Current and q. She came to CBC Radio from the world of newspapers. Most recently, she worked as an investigative reporter in Houston, Texas. Prior to that she did stints at The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Star in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Ottawa Citizen.

 

Also on the show: how my bad French saved the day

A few years ago, Keaton Peterson won a trip to California to see the Edmonton Oilers take on the San Jose Sharks. He saw his team play — and win! To celebrate, on his last night Keaton took the train out to San Francisco to see the city (and get to know its watering holes). 

The next day was supposed to be smooth sailing: take the train back to San Jose, catch his flight back to Alberta, and tell tales of his travels to his friends and family. All he had to do was wake up on time… Easy, right?

Keaton Peterson is a writer, editor, and political junkie based in Edmonton, Alberta.