AI Technology Nails Parking Violators

Parking officer Jonathan Rosas patrols Santa Monica College’s (SMC) parking structures every day, checking to see if each vehicle has the required valid permit to park within the designated spaces marked by white lines. Hundreds of student and staff vehicles stream in and out of the four major parking structures on campus each school day and night. Rosas's job is to identify which vehicles are in compliance with SMC's regulations and which are not.

Rosas cites vehicles that do not have a valid permit, are parked outside the white lines, or are parked backwards in the designated slot. These the most frequent violations out of the 30 that are on the list of citable parking violations.

Now, Officer Rosas's patrol task is made easier. SMC has implemented a new parking permit system called iParq. Rather than mailing out decals to be displayed on car windshields, parking permits are now digital and assigned to the vehicle by its license plate number.

Rosas operates computer-enhanced vehicle for patrolling the parking structure that resembles a golf-cart. Mounted on the roof are two cameras that are programmed to read license plate numbers as the vehicle patrols each parking level. The onboard computer is programmed to zero-in on each license plate as it drives by. What the camera sees is clearly displayed on the dashboard mounted monitor. Like a simple video game, when a violation is detected, an alarm is sounded — bong-bong — and a red circle is appears around the license plate number in question. The full plate number appear in green in a distinct window on the video monitor.

The patrolman stops. He consults his handheld wireless device linked to his dashboard computer, and types in the plate number to confirm whether or not the car has a permit. Officer discretion allows the patrolman to make adjustments. Student with expired plates or parked in staff spot, for example, may be given just a warning. Once a violation is confirmed and entered into the computer, another wireless device kicks into action and the citation is printed.

Placed on the vehicle’s windshield, the parking ticket details the violation details and options for paying or contesting the citation. “We issued about 460 citations in the past month using the new iParq system,” said Johnnie Adams, SMC's Chief of Police. 

Officer Rosas covers the main parking structures in two-and-a-half hours. The SMC parking structures allow between 2000 to 3000 vehicles each day on the main campus. The main campus on Pico Boulevard has lot 4 with 800 parking spaces, lot 3 with 1200 spaces, and the newly opened Student Services Center has 550 underground spaces. Each parking structure requires a parking permit.

SMC implemented the iParq system this fall, and students can purchase permits through the Corsair Connect website or the Bursar’s office on main campus. 

Parking officer Jonathan Rosas patrols Santa Monica College's (SMC) main campus parking lot on Friday, October 11, 2019 in Santa Monica, Calif. SMC has now implemented its new iParq system, which makes Rosas's work easier. A camera reads the license number and if there's a violation, the officer can issue a citation. (Drew Andersen / The Corsair)