Rash of Broken Parking Meters Hits Capital

WASHINGTON — District of Columbia police say they have found hundreds of broken parking meters in abandoned sites throughout the nation’s capital, evidence that organized crime is behind the rampant parking meter vandalism that has cost the city an estimated $3.1 million in recent months.

“This is a citywide problem, and up to date, we have made 26 arrests,” police Commander Alfred Broadbent said Tuesday. “We have identified several groups of individuals who are working in concert throughout the entire downtown area.”

More than 3,000 parking meters have been destroyed on the city’s streets in the last year, according to the Department of Public Works. While commuters have taken advantage of full days of free parking in front of the broken machines, the episode has caused another financial headache for the cash-poor district. Each meter can contain up to $80 worth of quarters.