Photo by caroline.angelo

Just when you thought the District’s willingness to give out tickets couldn’t get any more zealous, the District Department of Transportation has just completed training their first batch of Traffic Control Officers who are now authorized to issue traffic citations, according to a news release.

The D.C. Council recently passed new laws designed to increase the city’s traffic and parking ticket revenue (or traffic and parking compliance, depending on who you ask), and the move to bring TCOs into the game is part of that effort. TCO’s are the people who you see at busy intersections helping to direct traffic during rush hours.

Traffic Control Officers now have the ability to issue citations for parking infractions and minor moving violations, including: parking in a bus or loading zone; parking in front of a designated entrance; expired tags; parking in a no standing or parking zone; double parking; expired inspection stickers; blocking crosswalks and bike lanes; distracted driving; use of cell phones, and so on.

The TCOs do not have the authority to write citations for criminal violations.