Police Stalk Meter Cheats in Beach City

Meter cheaters are out in force in Manhattan Beach, and the police are going undercover to nab them.

City officials suspect some surfers of spreading the word on how to jam meters at beachside lots so they can park free while idling in the waves.

Meters at the municipal pier and at El Porto Beach were being vandalized at such an alarming rate that the city did a midyear audit. It found receipts down $36,000 for the first eight months of the fiscal year.

“I think it has become a thing to do, a loose-knit conspiracy by word of mouth,” police Capt. John Wehner said.

The city has had limited success in catching the culprits; an undercover police officer sneaked up on two men in March and arrested them while they allegedly were jamming a meter.

Chalking Tires

Once jammed, the meter’s red “expired” flag stays down, although the yellow “violation” flag pops up. The city previously had not ticketed cars parked at broken meters because there was no way to know if the meter had malfunctioned or been sabotaged.

However, with the practice so widespread, parking officers now are chalking the tires of cars parked at jammed meters and returning after an hour to write a $13 citation, said Howard Fishman, who supervises the city’s eight parking enforcement officers.

Fishman and other city officials believe the technique of jamming meters has spread, based on the large number of foreign objects found in the meters’ coin boxes, as well as the large number of meters with violation flags up. On several occasions, 50% of the 240 meters at El Porto were found in such a condition, according to Fishman.

The city normally takes in about $200,000 annually from the two lots, which charge 75 cents for each 20 minutes of parking, said Merle Lundberg, the city’s finance director. “Somewhere along the line someone put two and two together and figured out how to jam the meters and told their buddies,” she said.

City officials say they believe the main culprits are the surfers who arrive at El Porto early in the morning and stay at the beach for hours. Surfer Chris Allen, who was at El Porto one day last week, said meter jamming is a common practice.

Benefit From Jamming

Although Allen and a friend, Marcus Randall, were dutifully plugging quarters into their five-hour meter, both said they regularly benefit from jammed meters. “Every time I come down here I get free parking because the meters are not working,” said the 16-year-old.

Another surfer said he and his friends do jam the meters. With a small piece of metal, he demonstrated how to trick the meter. The meter did not jam, but gave him credit for three hours worth of parking.

The surfer lamented the high cost of parking at the lot. “It’s not like the city needs all that money,” he said in defense of his actions.

But city officials said the city does need the money, and that most of it goes to the county to maintain the beaches.

The two arrested last month, Samuel Stein, 18, and Aylon Weinstein, 19, have each been charged with one count of malicious mischief and one of petty theft. If convicted, they face a possible sentence of six months in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000.