may and annoyance to El Vaquero over the month of November with what they say is selective and unfair ticketing on the part of campus police in Lot C and B.

The students, some of whom declined to provide their name but left notes and voice messages, say that parking tickets were left for those parking by backing into spaces. Some also said they had to pay fines over $40 for leaving their official parking passes on the dash of their car as opposed to their rear-view mirror.

For the sake of clarity, El Vaquero reached out to the Glendale Community College District Police Department to better understand when and how tickets are given.

“The District has authority to regulate traffic and parking to promote the safe and orderly movement of traffic and parking on its property,” said Gary Montecuollo, campus police chief, in an email interview. “One of those requirements is for persons using the outer Lot B to park his/her vehicle head first into the space.”

However, students complained that some received tickets while others did not. Others felt that the policy needed clarification.

“I was told by a sergeant at the beginning of this semester that the policy was not enforced, but I was warned by a police cadet as I backed into a space this month that the policy is being enforced,” said Don La Breche. “Another car had already been ticketed. I would estimate that 10 to 20 percent of drivers back into spaces in the upper lot.”

In response, Montecuollo explained that the police enforces traffic and parking “based on the “spirit of the law” versus the “letter of the law.”” That means that “it is possible that on any given day one person may receive a citation for a violation whereas another person may not.”

The police department emphasized that this does not negate the parking requirement.

To better serve students in understanding where and how they can park, the campus has been working for more clear signs across parking lots. “Over the past year, we have also been replacing older signage with newer and more visible signage to help drivers,” said Montecuollo.  Students have the right to appeal parking citations.