Ep 1. #01

Parking Wars is a reality show about the daily drama that unfolds on the streets of Philadelphia where parking enforcement is a high-pressure job. On this episode, the viewers are introduced to three different departments of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, the ticketing agents, the booting team, and the tow truck drivers.

The episode starts with Officer Mike Lewis, a parking enforcement officer, patrolling the streets of Philly. He is having a regular day, ticketing cars parked illegally and dealing with irate motorists who try to argue their case to get the ticket revoked. On one of these routine stops, he finds a woman parked in a handicapped zone without a proper permit, and he has to call in a tow truck to take the car away. The woman gets angry but is promptly informed that she has committed a serious violation, and the law is the law.

Next up, we meet the booting team, made up of Steve and Sherry. They get a call about a vehicle that has multiple unpaid tickets and needs to be booted. They rush to the location, and when they arrive, the car with the outstanding tickets is nowhere to be found. After a few phone calls, they find out that the owner of the car paid off the tickets and the vehicle had been moved, so the booting team had to stand down.

The ticket writers, also known as 'The Ticketers,' spend most of their day on foot, walking up and down the streets to find cars parked in violation of the parking laws. On this episode, we follow them as they navigate through different neighborhoods noting the car models, colors, and license plates to write out tickets when they find parking violations. Even though they are seen as the "bad guys," the ticketers have a difficult job, as they get yelled at, cursed at, and sometimes even threatened by frustrated motorists.

Finally, we see the tow truck drivers, who have one of the worst jobs in the city. They have to deal with angry car owners who have had their vehicles towed due to parking violations, sometimes having to break into the car to release the emergency brake and get it onto the tow truck, or having to remove cars that are double-parked or blocking highways. The toll it takes on the drivers is evident as they dread the inevitable confrontation with the vehicle owners.

Throughout the episode, the different departments of the Philadelphia Parking Authority come together to get the job done. At the tow yard, we see staff handling the incoming cars, tagging them with numbers, and cataloging them before they are released or auctioned.

Parking Wars episode 1 is an eye-opener to the challenges and issues that arise in the world of parking enforcement in a busy city like Philadelphia. It shows car owners who are in the wrong, the consequences of their actions, and how the parking authorities have to hold them accountable. It is an entertaining program that offers a glimpse into the reality of the parking business, and a reminder that everyone needs to follow parking rules to keep the city moving.