by Benjamin Israel
staff editor

In a three-day period last week, parking enforcement officers discovered six forged parking permits on cars parked in South Campus parking lots, according to the daily reports issued by campus police.

All last semester, authorities reported catching three students using forged permits.

"We never had a problem with this until there was an increase in fees," said Captain James Smalley of the campus police.

Except in one instance, the officer immobilized the car with a boot. That way, Smalley said, students "have to call us first and we'll come and once we have a chance to gain their identity, we let them go." The other student was arriving at his car when the officer caught him with the alleged forgery, Smalley said.

He said he interviewed two students after they called to get their cars released.

"One student said he found it in his mailbox at the Optometry School in Marillac Hall," Smalley said. "The other student admitted she copied her permit from another person's permit."

At least four of the cars using the counterfeit permits were used by students in the School of Optometry, Smalley said. He also said that each had the same serial numbers, and all were attached using tape.

Officers checking for parking violators examine the taped stickers closely for signs of forgery, Smalley said.

Smalley said stickers started appearing "when the information went out about the numbers on the new parking fees."

In all instances last week and last semester, the students driving the cars were referred to the Office of Student Affairs.

Joanne Bocci, interim associate vice chancellor of Student Affairs, said she could not disclose how the students last semester were punished.

"There were sanctions imposed," she said, adding that she would not disclose what sanctions were imposed. She said the Student Conduct Code allows the school discretion in any breach of the Student Code with punishments ranging from warnings to probation to loss of privileges to restitution to suspension to expulsion.