WPCNR  POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. March 17, 2006: Public Safety Aids, the intrepid enforcers of White Plains Parking laws, fearless observers of every second of  time that ticks away on White Plains parking meters were informed today that they have a new boss.

White Plains Public Safety Aids who seem to have an uncanny sixth sense telling them exactly when your meter expires in White Plains shift to Parking Department Management exclusively beginning Monday. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

The approximately 30 PSAs who write White Plains parking tickets day and night in the garages and municipal parking lots and on the metered streets, previously reported to the Department of Public Safety under Dr. Frank Straub. All will now report to Albert Moroni, Director of Parking  of the White Plains Department of Parking, according to a  Public Safety Aid, speaking on condition of anonymity,  who said PSAs were told of the change in bosses Friday, after a meeting between the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Parking was held to negotiate the change.

The Public Safety Aid said they were told there would be no change in pay, byt the PSAs would receive new badges and patches, and a new title they believed to be “Parking Attendent.”  Each “Parking Attendent” would continue to be equipped with police radios and be in touch with police at all times while on duty, they said.  There are currently three shifts filled by the 30 aids, the veteran PSA officer said.

Asked if the PSAs were given a reason for the change, they said it was a matter of consolidation, since the Department of Parking reimbursed the Department of Public Safety for the salaries for the approximately 30 aids. The aid said to their knowledge the training would continue as before with veteran PSA

The aid did say conflicts occasionally arose because of working for the police department, while trying to follow the policies of the Parking Department, and that there were miscommunications on occasion, but did not elaborate on their nature.

The aid said that both Dr. Frank Straub, Commissioner of Public Safety and Albert Moroni, Director of Parking were “wonderful bosses,” “wonderful men to work for.”

Director of Parking Albert Moroni and Commissioner of Public Safety Straub were not able to be reached for comment. Civil Service Employees Association union head Joe Roche has been contacted and WPCNR awaits his comments.

Hopefully more light on the reasons for the shift, whether this would affect budgeting (now underway), whether this shifts formulation of parking enforcement policy strictly within Mr. Moroni’s  parking empire, or if there is a more significant change in policy to come will be forthcoming regarding  the Public Safety Aids.

The PSA's, patrolling on foot and in the parking enforcement jeeps, write the $15 parking summonses which brought in $2,700,000 in fines from parking meters in  2004, according to figures in the 2005 and is estimated to bring in $2,820,000 in meter fines in all of 2005 according to the city budget. The PSA's were estimated in the city budget to write 112,000 other parking violation summonses other than meter vios, which vary in higher amounts. If each of those additional non-meter summonses were $25 or more you would come up with a figure of an additional $2.8 Million in revenue for a rough total in fines revenue of $5.6 Million.

The PSA's according to the 2005-06 city budget cost the city a salary and fringe benefit estimated cost of $2,374,000. WPCNR cautions this is a rough estimate based on the 2005-06 budget.