Village of Warwick hires parking enforcement officers

WARWICK — The odds of being ticketed for a parking violation in the Village of Warwick just improved - but not in your favor.

The village has just hired two parking enforcement officers, John Leardini and Christopher DiMauro, to patrol and ticket vehicles for parking violations in the downtown area.

And they will start issuing parking tickets this Friday, March 18.

The Warwick Police Department will also continue to enforce parking regulations as usual.

Although parking tickets do produce some revenue for the village, the real purpose of adding the extra enforcement personal is to help prevent drivers from overstaying their time limits on the meters along downtown streets or staying beyond the three-hour limit in the South Street parking lot.

The intent is to keep things moving, thereby freeing the limited number of parking spots for shoppers and other visitors.

There are parking areas where longer stays are permitted but not convenient for someone who wants to just run into a store to make a purchase or stop for lunch at a downtown eatery. It's also important for the community that out-of-town visitors find the Village of Warwick a convenient place to shop.

"It's about fairness," said Mayor Michael Newhard. "We want to improve the parking situation in downtown Warwick for everyone. And we also must consider the needs of the elderly or the handicapped who need to be close to their destination."

Leardini and DiMauro are part-time Village employees and, wearing their bright green vests, will patrol on foot primarily during the daytime.

- Roger Gavan