Most of the civilian officers are handicapped themselves and they know how desperately the people who use those spots need them.

It isn’t a convenience like it is for the people who abuse the system, it’s a necessity.

I received an email from a gentleman who wrote to tell me about how an injury left him in severe pain and unable to walk for some time. All too often he found the reserved spaces illegally taken.

“Every step I took hurt. The inability to reach the front door of a restaurant or drug store without additional and very painful effort is something you will long remember.”

One of the enforcement specialists, Lois Jackson, told me that she wishes she could walk normally and without pain. But what a remarkable woman she is.

I also think it is apropos to point out that the HPES civilian enforcement officers are out there to lighten the load of the police force.

I fielded many complaints about the Oklahoma City police, so I think it is important to make the point that the HPES program (like others in Midwest City, for example) writes the majority of the handicapped parking and fire lane citations in the city.

Be your own advocate, and if you see an infraction, call HPES or the city Action Center to report it.

And if you’re not handicapped, don’t take away one person’s necessity for your convenience.

If you’re handicapped, don’t loan your placard out to others. If you’re a business owner, make sure your in compliance with the law.