COACHELLA VALLEY – What looked like a checkpoint at this year’s Coachella Valley and Stagecoach Music Festivals was indeed just that!  California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) investigators teamed up with the Indo Police Department to identify and cite those trying to access disabled parking spaces by fraudulently using a disabled persons parking placard.

Investigators cited 172 for using a disabled person parking placard that wasn’t theirs.  The offenders were caught during a series of enforcement efforts that took place over several weekends.

Violators had their placard confiscated, received a misdemeanor citation with fines that range from $250 to $1,000, and the violation will appear on their driver record.

This is the third consecutive year that DMV investigators have teamed up with the Indio Police Department to crack down on disabled person parking placard abuse at the annual music festivals. This year, they verified 2,459 placards by comparing the placard’s assignment number to its accompanying registration card and the individual’s identification.

Coachella                                 Coachella                                 Stagecoach

April 12-14                               April 19-21                                 April 26-28

44 citations                              50 citations                               78 citations

“I am grateful to DMV investigators for their work to combat the fraudulent use of disabled person parking placards,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “There are individuals who truly require more convenient parking because of a mobility or other health issue.  We must educate people on why we need to save the space for people who need it.”

The DMV carries out as many as 24 enforcement efforts throughout the state each month.