Always Check Before You Park

I work in a police dispatch department. Since we operate around the clock, we also get to cover a few other duties that would otherwise necessitate someone else to be kept on call. One of these duties is responding to the intercom of the only publicly-owned underground parking in our city. Said parking garage has a toll bar at the exit, so you pay for the time you’ve parked there after you return and then insert your paid parking ticket to lift the toll bar and exit the garage. Most people don’t realize that the intercoms on the pay machines and toll bars connect them to the police.

A guest who parked his car in this garage walks up to the pay machine and rings the intercom.

Me: “Good evening. How may I help you?”

Guest: “Hi, I’ve parked my car here and I would like to pay, but I can’t figure out how to pay with my card.”

Me: “Unfortunately, the pay machines in that parking garage don’t accept cards. The only way you can pay is with cash.”

Guest: “Well, I don’t have any cash on me. What should I do?”

Me: “I guess you’ll have to find a way of procuring cash somewhere.”

Guest: “That’s no good. I’m in a hurry and I have to leave.”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m unable to help you here. I can’t just let you out without paying simply because you don’t have cash on you.”

Guest: “Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll just have to drive through the toll bar to get out of here.”

Me: “I wouldn’t advise that, since we have surveillance cameras all around the premises.”

Guest: “Okay, then. Still, this is ridiculous. Who has heard of a pay machine that doesn’t accept cards nowadays?”

Me: “I agree that it’s inconvenient, but it’s far from the only parking lot that only accepts cash payments.”

Guest: “Nonsense, I’ve used many a parking space around this country, and they all accept card payments. In fact, I’m pretty certain that it’s illegal to only accept cash and no other means of payment.”

Me: “I’m not so sure about that.”

Guest: “But I am. I’m absolutely certain that it’s illegal to only accept cash.”

Me: “Sir, do you have any idea who you’re connected with?”

Guest: “No.”

Me: “You’re talking to the police. And I know for a fact that it’s not illegal to only accept cash payments.”

Guest: “You’re wrong. I know the law.”

Me: “Oh, well, in that case, can you please tell me what law states pay machines are required to accept card payments in addition to cash payments?”

I guess getting called out like that threw him for a loop, but after stammering for a bit, he told me that he’d figure out a way to get out of there.

I’d mentioned that we had surveillance cameras all around the parking garage, which was true. However, what I didn’t tell him is that we were not allowed to record any of it. It was just used for real-time surveillance on our large video wall, not as a means of recording video evidence. I decided to pull up a couple of views of that parking garage, specifically the exit, in case I managed to get a good look at his license plate if he decided to make good on his threat of running over our toll bar.

I also had another view visible of the pay machine he talked to me from. Not five minutes passed before I saw him walking back to that pay machine and paying for his parking ticket with cash. That wouldn’t be a big deal, except this was after all the nearby shops had closed and the nearest ATM was at least ten minutes walking distance away, so he either had some spare change in his car and just wanted to try his luck with me, or he begged someone else he encountered there to help him out.