Don't know about DC, but many cop cars have automated plate scanners the check every plate they see. Good way to catch stolen cars.

Your tags have to be current if you're parking on the street. They have no way of knowing if you're driving or not.

No because people are only reporting illegal parking in flagrant cases, and hardly even that. For every person that reports a car parked on the sidewalk, there are 20+, maybe 50+ people that just walk around it.

Deputizing all meter maids to do booting of serial moving violators though seems ideal

I recall hearing people say the cars booted should have serial moving traffic violations, which makes sense given the supply of boots and the vastly higher number of cars with parking violations. No idea if that's in the cards though.

'worry about the violations I don't commit, not the ones I do'

Yeah I think advocates are interested in it also as a safety measure, by specifically targeting vehicles that have serial moving violations. Or flagrantly bad parking like you mentioned.

Because not all boots need end in tows

The parking enforcement is already quite responsive to calls, the problem is actually the lack of boots/towing/enforcing payment of tickets.

You're right. Heard similar and wasnt sure if it was towing or booting but it's booting.

And I just saw a vid of a guy installing a boot easily in a minute - maybe the municipal grade ones are different, but your suggestion would 100x enforcement speed.

https://www.npr.org/local/305/2021/12/07/1062056335/d-c-council-prods-public-works-department-over-inadequate-vehicle-booting-operation

>why boot at all

If there aren't enough tow trucks you can boot more -> more enforcement plus more deterrence potentially from all the boots blossoming across the district.

I guess I have no idea how it's done currently but your suggestion makes a ton of sense provided booting is reasonably easy and heavy machinery free (maybe reserving for people with serial moving violations). Having to call someone else to do it is a recipe for futility and waste.

Ah thank you to you both for the explanations :). Indeed the other place I lived had abundant utility poles.

Unrelated, but does anyone know why DC has so many manholes? It seems like one per address in parts, vs the one or two per block I've seen in other cities.

This is one of my perpetual gripes with reporting at all levels - how exceptional this is - any sense of responsibility to fact-check quotes instead of merely repeating them. Trump coverage was the 'exception that proves the rule', if only because he spoke falsely so frequently and flagrantly.

Walmart has terrific prices on store brand items. But other stores have routine sales that repeat every few weeks that are cheaper than wally for many things. Like $0.97 a lb pork shoulder at Teeter this weekend.

I'm also wondering, 'cause I'm looking for where to get a set of natural fake breasts.

Look wherever there are bulk spices on sale. I have zatar from yes organics bulk spices section. Prob best spot in DC for this, or Mom's. Caribbean Crescent would've been but they moved to MD.

All prepackaged spices in bottles are criminally expensive, and I've not seen zaatar in the mini plastic bags.