Parked illegally? These volunteers are on the scene

Bob Moretti and Daisy DeLeon-Casey are patrol partners who hit the streets of Great Falls, responding to complaints and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity.

They're not police officers, yet they fill an important role within the Great Falls Police Department as volunteers.

The pair jump in their marked volunteer patrol vehicle once a week to help with parking complaints. They observe, document and sticker vehicles in reported violation of the city's residential parking ordinance limiting the amount of time a vehicle can remain parked in one spot on a public street. There is also a rule requiring vehicles that are not in working order to be kept on private property.

"Ideally they'll move it," Moretti said. "That's our goal, to get it resolved."

When a complaint is filed, Moretti and DeLeon-Casey investigate. They have dispatch run the vehicle's plates, chalk the tires and the street so they can check back in a week and see if the vehicle moves, place a warning sticker on the window and photograph the vehicle in its marked state.

Moretti says he and his partner split tasks during their four-hour shift. One drives and the other fills out the paperwork, switching halfway through.

"We find ourselves pretty much driving all over the city," Morretti noted, as he provided DeLeon-Casey with directions to the next stop.

The duo has been working the parking enforcement beat together for more than a year. Moretti volunteered with the GFPD before that, and he fulfills other volunteer duties at the station three to four days a week. He also trains new volunteers and teaches a free r

esponsible alcohol sales and service class.

DeLeon-Casey, whose husband is in the military, says she decided to start volunteering after completing the GFPD Citizens Academy.

"It's been an awesome experience," she said.

The pair was matched up for parking patrol as soon as DeLeon-Casey signed up for volunteer duty.

"I got stuck with this guy, and it's been OK," she added with a laugh.

DeLeon-Casey also puts in extra time beyond the parking patrols. She translates jail phone calls made by Spanish-speaking inmates once a week.

"There's not an officer out there that doesn't thank us," Moretti said of their work.

The owners of the vehicles they sticker are another story. If a stickered vehicle is not moved within the seven-day window, a parking citation is issued by a sworn officer and the vehicle is towed at the owner's expense. The towing and fines total about $120, Moretti says, and if the vehicle sits in storage for a while that price gets higher.

Moretti says they try to work with people. They've even helped push cars into driveways. But honest, friendly vehicle owners are not the norm.

"People think they own the street," Moretti said. "Especially the street in front of their house."

For safety reasons, Moretti and DeLeon-Casey only complete their patrols during the day, when most people are away from home. The team says that cuts down on potential confrontations.

The complaints often come from neighbors, Moretti says, but they are completely anonymous. Sometimes maintenance and snow removal crews report vehicles that stay in one spot for long periods of time.

"We don't drive around on a witch hunt," Moretti added. "We let the complaint process work."

The volunteer patrols aren't just about parking. The pair checks in with gas station clerks to see if they have any concerns to take back to the police department. They drive by schools and parks, too.

"Sometimes all it takes is for someone to see someone is watching to prevent a crime," Moretti said.

Reach Tribune Staff Writer Andrea Fisher-Nitschke at 791-6527.

Follow her on Twitter @GFTrib_Andrea and find her on Facebook.

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