By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) — Spotted in a fast food parking lot on the South Side: A Chicago Police SUV parked in a clearly marked disabled parking spot, just a few feet from the restaurant door.
The photo, which was posted on Reddit, was taken at the McDonald’s at 83rd Street and Ashland Avenue in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. The vehicle is assigned to the 6th District on the South Side.
Exactly when the photo was taken is currently not known. However, judging from the surrounding scenery and weather conditions, it is possible it was taken in the past few days.
The photo raises several questions:
Is it legal for a police vehicle to park in a spot for disabled drivers?
Were the officers on a call or stopping for food?
Is it possible for a police officer to have a handicapped placard? That seems unlikely. The police contract provides officers with paid disability for a variety of injuries and illnesses.
CBS Chicago has reached out to the Chicago Police Department for an explanation.
Police cars typically park any place on the street. After all, who is going to ticket them? However, taking a spot reserved for the disabled in a parking lot, seems like a different matter. The lot has several other non-marked spots within 20 to 30 feet of the disabled spots.
In Chicago, a ticket for illegal parking in a marked handicap spot will get you a $200-$250 fine.
