Vault: The Disabled Parking Scam

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Bert Show – Vault: The Disabled Parking Scam

Date: March 5, 2026
Main Theme:
The Bert Show team tackles the controversial issue of abuse and misuse of disabled parking spaces, sharing confessions, listener stories, heated opinions, and a look at both personal justifications and public efforts to hold offenders accountable.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Confessions of Guilt and Temptation

• Panel's Experiences:
  • Bert admits he once used his mother-in-law’s handicap permit during knee rehab, rationalizing there were plenty of spaces and he technically “had a bum knee.”
    • Quote (D/Bert, 03:14): “And I justified it by saying, look, there are fifteen handicap spots here and they're not gonna miss one, plus I got a bum knee. So technically right now... it was wrong.”
  • Other cast members express strong opposition to abusing these spots, citing personal ethics and karma, even when tempted by open spaces.
    • Quote (B/Kristin, 01:46): “I can never ever do it. Yeah, it’s like it’s karma to me.”

2. CBS 46 News Sting: Catching Parking Offenders

• Media Action:
  • The team discusses a local CBS 46 investigation where offenders are confronted on camera for illegally parking in disabled spots.
    • Memorable Moment (D/Bert, 04:26): “Here’s a clip from CBS 46. This is supposed to run tonight, I think.”
  • Offenders react with defensiveness, confusion, aggression, and attempts to justify their actions.
    • Transcript Clip (G/Offender & F/Reporter, 04:30–05:10):
      • “[Reporter:] Can you tell me why you’re parked in a handicapped parking place without a sticker?
      • [Offender:] ...Don’t put that on the news, please.
      • [Reporter:] Well, you were doing the wrong thing.
      • ...[Offender:] Please call 911... I want to report your harassment.”
  • Another offender uses a relative’s sticker, attempts to shift focus, and ultimately flips off the camera.
    • Memorable Moment (D, 06:02): “And then she gives the finger, I think right there.”

3. Justifying the Unjustifiable

• Rationalizations Explored:
  • Group notes how most people try to justify their infractions when confronted, rather than simply admitting fault.
    • Quote (B/Kristin, 06:08): “You can justify. That’s what I did. I justified it, but I knew it was wrong.”
    • Quote (E, 06:19): “I think most people when they're busted for something... they'd rather come up with an excuse than say, ‘You know what? You’re right. I was wrong.’”
  • Some draw lines around “gray area” circumstances—like injuries—but agree most excuses are flimsy.

4. Public Accountability: Call-Out Culture

• Online Exposure:
  • Bert shares info about a website, HandicappedFraud.org, where citizens can submit evidence (photos, locations, license plates) of abusers.
    • Quote (D/Bert, 07:06): “She said there's actually a website where you can call out these people called Handicappedfraud.org. You can put pictures up, you can put their driver's license up, the date of the offense, and the place where it happened…”

5. Listener Stories & Opinions

• Caller Desiree (07:10):
  • Shares how her aunt regularly abuses a family member’s handicap parking placard for convenience, which “really irks” her.
• Holiday Increase & Ethics:
  • Cast predicts a rise in violations during holidays; express hope for increased public shaming via online reporting methods.

6. Police Parking Privileges & Double Standards

• Police in Striped Zones:
  • Discussion of a listener-submitted photo of a police cruiser blocking a curb cut between disabled spots.
    • Debate: Some excuse the cop (“You don’t know if he had an emergency”), others strongly disapprove, especially since the car was simply parked for an errand at the post office.
    • Quote (E, 08:38): “That’s a whole other topic about how cops sometimes will abuse the law because they can. Because they're cops.”

7. Listener Patty’s Story (09:00): Revenge Served Cold

• Patty tells of a daycare parent abusing disabled parking, cursing her out when confronted, and eventually receiving a $500 ticket thanks to Patty’s police friend.
  • Quote (C/Patty, 09:58): “Mercedes is getting a ticket. Crying, being dramatic. She did not know. I walked up and I said, ‘Sister, you cussed me out yesterday. I said, dig out your $500 and handle it.’”

8. Consequences & Extremes

• Discussion about fines ($500 and up), with jokey suggestions for harsher punishment.
  • Joking (B/Kristin, 10:14): “I think they should cut off one of your legs. Like, if you park in a handicap spot, they should remove your leg.”
  • E Teasing Response (E, 10:22): “But then you’ll... then you’ll finally get your stickers.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• The Rationalization Game:
  • D/Bert (03:14): “I justified it by saying... but it was wrong.”
• On Confrontation:
  • F/Reporter and G/Offender (04:30–05:10): A tense exchange where the offender calls 911 to report the reporter for “harassment” after being busted on camera.
• Flipping the Bird:
  • (F/Reporter and uncooperative woman, 06:02): Ends with a middle finger to the camera.
• On Admitting Fault:
  • B/Kristin (06:26): “At some point, you just gotta go, busted.”
• On Police Privilege:
  • B/Kristin and E (08:38): “That’s a whole other topic about how cops sometimes will abuse the law 'cause they can. Because they're cops.”
• Listener Patty’s Street Justice:
  • C/Patty (09:58): “Sister, you cussed me out yesterday. I said, dig out your $500 and handle it.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Personal Confessions – 01:37–03:44
• CBS 46 Investigation & Audio Clips – 03:44–06:08
• Rationalizations & Group Reflections – 06:08–07:06
• Callers & Listener Stories – 07:10–09:58
• Consequences & Outrageous Suggestions – 10:14–10:37

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Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, humorous, occasionally self-deprecating and always direct. The cast balances light roast (especially for their own past slip-ups) with real frustration about entitlement and lack of empathy for disabled individuals.

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For listeners:
If you care about accessible parking or have witnessed (or been guilty of) similar scenarios, this episode offers both cathartic venting and some practical outlets for action—or at least entertainment!

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[D]

The bird show, CBS 46 has the same pet peeve that one of our listeners, Allison, has as well.

[E]

Okay.

[D]

And I think we have all seen it. And I gotta be totally honest with you, I've done it before. Also not often, but at least one time. I was guilty of doing this.

[B]

I can never ever do it. Yeah, it's like it's karma to me.

[D]

I can't even remember what my excuse was in my head for doing it, but I borrowed my mother in law's handicap.

[E]

I remember us being mad at you when she wasn't in the car with you.

[D]

She wasn't in the car with me.

[E]

What was I using that for?

[B]

Was it Christmas shopping at the mall or something?

[F]

Parking at an arena?

[D]

No, it wasn't that.

[B]

See, I've never borrowed anyone's sticker. But I'll never. I will never. Even if it bugs me, because the post office near my house has three handicap spots right in front of it that are always open. And then for whatever reason, it's a huge pain in the butt to get to any other. Like all the other parking spots are way down the aisle. And I'm tempted every time, but I can't do it because it's almost like karma, right? And they're always empty. They're consistently empty. And they're the ones that have the two handicap spots with the big. I think it's for the van. You know what I mean? Like a van has a wheelchair lift. They have the big striped box in between each spot. And I've even thought about just pulling into that box because technically I'm not. But I'm like, no.

[D]

I remember what the circumstance was now. It was during my knee rehabilitation and I was driving around my mother in law's truck because it had more leg room. I couldn't get into my 350 crutches, so I had the crutches in the back and I was late for one of my rehab appointments. And at Northside they have. Or Northside, they have a whole bunch of those handicaps on it.

[B]

They did it in a hot settlement.

[D]

And I justified it by saying, look, there are 15 handicap spots here and they're not going to miss one. Plus I got a bum knee. So technically right now it was wrong.

[B]

Now the bum knee.

[D]

I hung up.

[E]

I will say you do get more

[B]

points for the bum knee a little

[D]

bit, but not a little bit.

[E]

But not totally.

[D]

Not much. No, no, it's a slightly more under. No, no, you're right, I don't, I don't.

[B]

But I mean, you probably could.

[D]

A little gray area, but not much.

[B]

You probably could have gotten your own.

[D]

Yes, I could have.

[B]

Because of your knee.

[D]

CBS 46. Tell me about this, Jeff, because they are doing a feature on this very thing, right?

[B]

Yeah. They had one of their reporters go out and bus people who are parking in handicap spots without any identification. And then they pop out. Like I kind of imagine them hiding behind some shrubs. Then they pop up with the camera and did Lindell give you some of the audio? I hope it prints on the air. I haven't watched it, but the descriptions that came with the video that Lyndall or the audio that Lyndall gave us were like girls flipping off the camera and guys getting violent. Like one guy got into the CBS 46 van or something and refused to get out. Threatened. Threatened to call the cops on them even though he was the one parked in the handicap spot.

[D]

Here's a clip from CBS 46. This is supposed to run tonight, I think.

[F]

Can you tell me why you're parked in a handicapped Parking place without a sticker.

[G]

Am I parked in a handicapped. Excuse me, but don't put that on the news, please.

[F]

Well, you were doing the wrong thing.

[G]

Okay, but let me ask you a question. Is this your car?

[F]

Please don't open my car.

[G]

Okay, I'm sorry. Don't push me. Put your hands on me.

[F]

Don't put your hands on the car.

[G]

Please call 911.

[B]

Call them.

[D]

Please do.

[G]

Cuz I want to. I want to report your harassment.

[F]

We're looking at people that are parking in handicap parking places without a. A sticker. Can you tell me why you don't have a sticker?

[G]

How you don't have a sticker?

[F]

You want to show it to me?

[G]

I'm a car dealer. Do you know I have a sticker or not?

[F]

I don't see one displayed. You can get a ticket for not having it. It's $500.

[G]

You know my name?

[F]

Sure, what is it?

[G]

Okay, that's what I thought.

[D]

So I guess he was. He. It sounded like he was reaching into the van or something like that to open up the CVS 46 van or the car that she was in.

[E]

See if I make her feel guilty. If I confuse her, then I for what I did.

[D]

Trying to Jedi mind tricker right there. Here's a handicap parking. Someone parking in the spot and I think she ends up flipping off the camera.

[F]

Is your name Walter? Yeah, it is. You're born in 1936. That's my dad's sticker. Do you think it's fair to use someone else's sticker? Really? Well, I see people park here all the time without a handicap sticker at all. What if there's someone that really is handicapped that can't. Yeah, I made a store run for him, so thank you. Is it fair to those that really need it? What about the people who park here with no handicap sticker at all? What about you? What about that though? What about you? Is it fair for you to park in a place when you don't really need it? It's not your sticker. Is that fair? Yeah, I believe it is actually.

[C]

Thank you.

[D]

And then she gives the finger, I think right there.

[B]

Like the logic is fascinating.

[D]

You can justify. That's what I did. I justified it, but I knew it was wrong.

[B]

But you had a bum knee. Like the justification is I'm making a store run for him. It doesn't matter. You're still health.

[E]

I think most people when they're busted for something, then they come up. They'd rather come up with an excuse to say, you know what? You're right. I was wrong.

[B]

At some point, you just gotta go, busted.

[D]

I did the wrong thing.

[E]

If a TV camera's in my face and I had done that, knowing that I did something, I'd be like, you got me?

[D]

Who you gonna believe? Me or the team?

[B]

Who you gonna believe?

[D]

Who you gonna believe? Alison yesterday wrote us just by coincidence. Cause she has this very same pet peeve. She works at a hospital, and she watches people every single day that are perfectly able to walk 100 yards into the hospital park. And she wrote and she said that there's actually a website where you can call out these people called Handicapped fraud dot org. You can put pictures up. You can put their driver's license up. The date of the offense and the place where it happened also.

[E]

Really?

[D]

And started nailing people on it. Hey, desiree, you're on Q100.

[C]

Hey. I just want to say my aunt is constantly stealing my grandmother's handicap spark parking spot to just get, you know,

[F]

like you said, like 100ft or 100

[C]

yards so she doesn't have to walk. And it's really. It really. It really irks me.

[E]

It's gonna get worse over the holidays. I bet that website you were just talking about, Bert, is going to be full of new pictures and information over the holidays.

[D]

It's handicapped fraud dot org.

[B]

Let me ask you a question, because I got this photograph from a listener, and I don't know if it's worth calling the person out for. Bert says there's some gray area because of this person's occupation and where they place the car, but I almost think they should be called out.

[D]

Yeah. This one doesn't bother me at all, though. It's not a handicap spot. It's a police officer that is parked in between two handicap spots in that sort of striped spot in between that Jeff was talking about.

[B]

And if you look carefully, his car's directly in front of the cutout on the curb, so the wheelchair can't go up.

[D]

Yeah, I think probably as a police officer, you get that.

[B]

I think that pass.

[D]

Because you don't know what's going in. You don't know. He might have rushed in.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, he did.

[E]

If he was showing up in a hurry.

[B]

Yeah, he rushed in to get in line at the post office.

[D]

Oh, is that what it was?

[B]

There's no official business with this.

[E]

Yeah. If you rush into a place, usually the cop car is, like, parallel with the.

[B]

And the lights will be on.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

But this guy was running an ERRAND to the post office and parked right there. Blocking.

[E]

That's a whole other topic about how cops sometimes will abuse the law because they can. Because they're cops.

[C]

Man.

[D]

If I was, I'd be going through those intersections with my light on and not get any of those stuff. I'd go, too.

[E]

All of a sudden, the light comes on, and you're going through a red light, and then your light goes off and you keep going. You're not chasing it. Okay. Went through the red light.

[B]

I would do the same thing.

[D]

Hey, Patty, you're on Q100. Good morning.

[B]

Job perk. Hey, guys.

[E]

Hey.

[C]

I've got a great story. My children are grown now, but years ago, the daycare center that I used was next door to a senior citizen center. But the director of the daycare was exasperated because she posted signs. She did everything. She talked to them personally. Please don't park in the handicap spots. There was three at the front door. You know, can't do it. So I said to her, I'll take care of it. I pull in one afternoon, there's a woman in a Mercedes loading her kids. And I said, excuse me, did you know that's a handicap spot? Well, she cussed me out and told me I must not have young children. And I was like, I'm at a daycare, and let me just tell you, my children are not a handicap. They're a gift. So the next day, I get ready to leave work, and I call a friend of mine who's a cop in the city, and I said, look, I'm going to pick up my kids. Please go there. I pull in, and guess who is getting a ticket.

[E]

Good.

[C]

Mercedes is getting a ticket. Crying, being dramatic. She did not know. I walked up and I said, sister, you cussed me out yesterday. I said, dig out your $500 and handle it.

[B]

Is that. Is that what the fine is? 500 bucks?

[E]

Yeah, it should be at least that.

[B]

Touching.

[D]

Sometimes it's posted. It's even more than that.

[B]

I think they should cut off one of your legs. Like, if you park in a handicap spot, they should remove your leg.

[E]

But then you'll. Then you'll finally get your stickers.

[B]

No, but then they don't. But they don't give you a sticker. That's your punishment. They do that thing that the woman on Misery did where they put the log between. Yeah. And they whack, whack. And then they're like, all right, well, can I get a sticker?

[D]

And you're like, did you really need help? The Birch Show.

[H]

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