Ponytail (Ticketing) - MPD

How did you get involved in the MPD?
I've always worked for the city. I just transferred from the Parks and Rec department into this department. I like it. Now I’ve been here 15 years, and that’s a long time to be at one job.

What are the traits you need to do this job well?
After being here so long, it just comes naturally. And when I’m writing the tickets I move around really fast. And that’s what a lot of citizens say that about me, they say I’m very consistent, I’m always where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there. So I get a lot of violations that way.

Also, I talk to everybody. Even people that are challenging me about the ticket, I’ll stay there and talk to them as long as they want me too. And after that, they have a whole different perspective of me. And really they wanna tear my head off at first, but then they come out shake my hand and say. "man you doin’ your job". I let people know I’m not out here to hurt you, I’m just doing a job that’s required of me and I’m not a vigilante out to get everybody.

Sonja (Ticketing) - MPD

Why did you join the MPD?
I love my city, I love the citizens and I feel like a public servant. It’s not just a job, it’s more of a way for me to give back to the city. I approach it with knowledge, with good customer service, with finesse and professionalism. I’m a people person so I enjoy the job. It’s different. Before, I always had desk job, always had an office, computer, telephone, and confinement. But with this job there’s no confinement. Every day is different, every person I run into is different, I go to different sides of town, and I like the difference every day brings.

What are the traits you need to do this job well?
One of the things that we are taught in our training class, is to not let a person get that close to us. When you feel that a person is getting a little irate, make sure you keep enough distance.

Also, I try to explain the violations, a lot of people don’t know that 20 feet from a crosswalk, or 15 feet from an intersection, is a violation. I didn’t know before I started this position. So, I try to let the citizens know that there is a rhyme and a reason why the crosswalk is there. There is a reason why you can’t park on the corner of an intersection, because other cars can’t turn. Child safety is a biggie too. I have to let them know that, hey this is what the violation is for. A lot of people had no idea.

Kim (Ticketing) - MPD

Why did you join the MPD?
Well I was at another job before working for the armored car division. I just wanted something with a little bit more security, a little bit more longevity, and something I could be invested in and fall back on. So I said, city of Detroit! When I saw the opening of this particular position I said, well, that’s a good job. And, its going to be here for as long as the city’s here! What we do is important.

What are the traits you need to do this job well?
What makes me good at my job? Knowing the violations as well as I do, and knowing I'm fair and honest. That’s what makes my job enjoyable to me. I'll listen to a person’s situation or circumstances: if it’s an old lady and I can see that she can’t walk a certain distance, I may give her an option to drop her off right here and that’s no problem. I try to put myself in the other person’s shoes but at the same time, I still have a job to do and I try to do it efficiently.

Robert (Ticketing) - MPD

How did you get involved in the MPD?
I was unemployed and I had just graduated from Wayne State University with a BA in Journalism. So I couldn’t land a job, and the market here is kind of bad, but a couple years before I went to a job fair and filled out some city applications, took a test and got put on the waiting list. And they contacted me in November so I came down here and I thought it’s either this, or keep living poor. I like it, there’s a lot of nice people here, it’s a good environment.

Why did you join the MPD?
I’m happy that what I do is making a difference in the city, to clean the city up a little bit behavior-wise, and to just teach people to do the right thing. I do my job with a focus on customer service. I’ve always stuck to my word that if they catch me before I push print, I’ll give them a break. I’ve come in with 70, 80 tickets a day, even after I’ve let a few people go. Someone can be arguing with you over a ticket and somebody else who you’ve let go before will come up and tell them to leave you alone because they know you are a nice guy. It’s like they have your back. And that’s the respect. When I go out there I give the public their respect and in turn they give me my respect.

What are the traits you need to do this job well?
To do this job you have to be a people’s person, you have to be able to talk to people, to understand people. They’re the ones getting the tickets. We’re not just some parking enforcement people from another planet, we actually live in the city ourselves, and we have to place ourselves in their shoes. You have got to think that you would want the same kind of respect if an officer was coming up to you. And I’m pretty sure everybody been pulled over by the police for something but you want the officer to give you respect even if you thought you weren’t in the wrong. So, with respect, comes respect.