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Despite being widely despised, parking services offers help to motorists in a pinch

October 21, 2014
<p>Criminal justice senior Joseph Sears files a parking ticket for a vehicle on Oct. 17. 2014, at the MSU Police Department parking lot. Raymond Williams/The State News</p>

Criminal justice senior Joseph Sears files a parking ticket for a vehicle on Oct. 17. 2014, at the MSU Police Department parking lot. Raymond Williams/The State News

Photo by Raymond Williams | The State News

When it comes to trying to get out of a parking ticket, criminal justice senior and parking enforcement employee Joe Sears has seen it all.

From printing off impostor lot permits, to placing old parking tickets on the windshield of a car, to vehemently arguing with parking staff or police officers, Sears has dealt with irate customers throughout the nearly four years he has been with the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety’s parking services division.

Despite all this, Sears said he loves his job. And his favorite part? Dealing with customers.

“I like the interactions with the customers,” Sears said. “It’s a very customer service–oriented job. We try to interact with people in a positive way, we try to help them, but we obviously have a service to provide to the people who are paying to park on campus. The faculty and staff or students with permits who pay to park, we have to make sure they have the ability to do so.”

Sears does a lot more than just write tickets when he’s out patrolling campus. The Parking Office also provides free gallons of gas to cars that have run out on campus, will jump start cars with dead batteries and change flat tires.

Dawn Mazur, who oversees student employees within the parking division, said all patrons have to do is call the office for help, and they will most likely send out a student parking enforcer to assist with motorist troubles.

“What this job comes down to is customer service,” Mazur said. “I know people laugh when we say that. ... If you’ve only gotten a parking ticket you might not see that customer service aspect of it.”

Only three of the 89 student employees in the parking division are criminal justice majors, said Lynnette Forman, office supervisor of MSU’s parking operations.

Although not many criminal justice students work in parking services, Sears said the experiences he has gained through the department are priceless.

“It’s a lot of interacting with a lot of officers and different things here at the department,” Sears said. “I definitely have a better understanding of this type of a department on a college campus, and I’m hoping I’ll work here as an officer in the future.”

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