Original Article Question and Answer Dec. 8, 2004 12:00 AM Detective Walter Olsen oversees the Phoenix Police Department's role in the city's "Save our Space" campaign, which kicked off again this year on Nov. 26. The campaign is a collaborative effort of the Mayor's Commission on Disability Issues, the police department and the city's Equal Opportunity Department. 1 When was the "Save our Space" campaign created and what is its mission? It was started in May of 2000 by the Mayor's Commission on Disability Issues, and it's a way to remind people that this is a problem (non-handicapped people parking in designated handicapped spots). It's an issue year-round, but we kick of the campaign each year during the holidays because parking becomes such a commodity during this time. 2 What is the police department's role in the campaign? I oversee the "Save our Space" volunteers and the hotline. If people see cars parked in the handicapped spots without a permit, they can call the hotline at (602) 534-SPACE. They should leave us the vehicle's license plate number. Then we'll generate a letter to the person who owns that vehicle to remind them not to park in those spaces. We don't send tickets; it's just an informational letter. 3 How do the volunteers help out? There are about 20 men and women who volunteer. They drive about 40,000 miles a year within the city. We ask that they work about 16 hours each month, but we have one guy who works three days a week, for eight hours each day. 4 How accessible is the city right now? In January, the city won . . . the National Organization on Disability's Accessible America Contest to be the most accessible-friendly city in the United States. 5 What should people remember when parking? That some disabilities aren't readily visible. Just because a person doesn't have a cane or walker doesn't mean they don't have a disability. Parking lots only reserve about 2 to 4 percent of their spaces for disability parking, and some research shows that as many as 15 percent of residents need or will at some point need those spaces. So 4 percent of a parking lot's spaces isn't really very much. - Meghan Moravcik