This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Rarely do I get invited to participate in a news conference with government officials I've made fun of, but it happened Tuesday.

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, who obviously is proud of the new parking kiosk system he unveiled, asked me to be one of the speakers, noting that I have kept readers aware of the current machines' screw-ups that so annoyed motorists.

There were many ways the existing kiosks led to erroneous tickets — technical glitches in the time displayed, the inability to record an actual payment and failure to provide a receipt, to name a few.

My constant calls to parking officials probably were not welcome, but they did answer my questions politely, did not get defensive (as some Utah legislators do) and admitted the problems that they promised to fix.

Becker said Tuesday that my many column items reminded city officials that they needed to do something. He thanked me at the news conference for keeping the enforcement folks on their toes and even had me say a few words.

The new system, which Becker promised would work much better, is from the San Diego-based IPS Group. It boasts newer, better technology and an easier-to-read information screen. Officials insist it is more reliable.

The only problem: If the new system meets expectations, I'll have to hunt harder to fill my columns.

Cop with X-ray vision • While standing on the TRAX platform at 500 South and Main Street, waiting for the train to take me to Becker's news conference, an American Fork police officer handed me a column item without even trying.

His patrol car, license number 508928 EX, drove by with its rear and side windows completely covered by snow. The front windshield was blanketed, too, save for a little peephole he must have scraped just wide enough to see ahead of him.

Had a civilian been driving a car with such restricted vision, he or she easily could have been ticketed.

Meanwhile • A Salt Lake City parking officer may have been a little lax in February since the enforcer appears to have been in desperation mode to write a flurry of tickets ­— to meet a quota? — on the month's last business day.

At Whittier Elementary School, 1600 S. 300 East, parents were doing what they do every school day at 8 a.m. — dropping off their kids in time to make the 8:15 tardy bell by driving in front, where there is a bus zone, and stopping for a few seconds to let out their young scholars.

There were no buses. There is a no-parking sign, but no one was parked.

Nonetheless, on this particular day, Barney Fife was ready for the kill. As parents drove up, he jumped in front of car after car to stop their progress while he wrote out tickets for parking in a restricted zone. A witness says he stopped a number of cars and fired off at least two tickets in the few minutes before school, which might be good for a bonus.

When one mother sarcastically said, "You got me. Congratulations," Barney, in Parking Enforcement Car 8846, dutifully took pictures of her and her license plate.

After all, anyone that lippy is probably a flight risk.