SAN ANTONIO – A visit to Public Safety Headquarters might raise a head-scratching question: Where do you park?
Bret Potter found himself wondering the same when he brought his mother to the downtown facility.
PSHQ is home to the city's police department, fire department and other services.
"I've got a mother who's got a pretty severe visual acuity problem, so I needed handicapped parking," Potter said.
Potter thought he would be able to park in the 640-space parking garage at PSHQ, which is mentioned on the facility's website. But he discovered the garage is reserved for PSHQ employees.
"So we drove up, drove around and around to the side and didn't find anything that was available," he said.
Eventually, Potter found paid parking a few streets away, but first he parked illegally on the street just long enough to get his mother safely inside.
"And I wasn't the only one," he said. "As a matter fact, since I've been sitting here, I've watched it happen, and it happened after we left."
KSAT 12 saw multiple people parking along the street with hazard lights on, as well as several cars lining the curbs inside the parking lot adjacent to PSHQ on multiple occasions.
SAPD issued the following statement when asked about where visitors should park:
"If a member of the public is coming to Public Safety Headquarters (PSHQ) to speak to an officer/detective in a follow-up unit as a witness or complainant in a case, we ask them to park in the paid city parking lot at the intersection of Nueva and Santa Rosa. The officer/detective will gladly assist them with having their ticket validated to waive parking fees.
"If a member of the public is coming to PSHQ to purchase a report, they are responsible for the cost of their parking, wherever they choose to park.
"If a member of the public requires the use of an ADA space within the PSHQ parking lot, they are allowed to use that space while they conduct business with us.
"We appreciate KSAT's assistance in clarifying this information as a public service. Also, thank you for the suggestion that we include this information on our website."
SAPD added parking information to its website here.
