Texas police investigating big crime with small payoff - Chron.com

By Brett Barrouquere, Chron.com / Houston Chronicle

Published 10:29 am, Saturday, March 25, 2017

Photo: City Of Fort Worth

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Someone is stealing parking meters from around Fort Worth.Police say at least 35 meters have been stolen, some cut off the post while others were yanked out of the ground.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see things you didn't know about parking meters

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Someone is stealing parking meters from around Fort Worth.Police say at least 35 meters have been stolen, some cut off the post while others were yanked out of the ground.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see

... more

Photo: City Of Fort Worth

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Humble origins

The first practical parking meter was installed on July 16, 1936 in Oklahoma City.

Humble origins

The first practical parking meter was installed on July 16, 1936 in Oklahoma City.

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Inventors

It was designed by Holger George Thuesen and Gerald Hale, both engineering professors at Oklahoma State University.

Inventors

It was designed by Holger George Thuesen and Gerald Hale, both engineering professors at Oklahoma State University.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle

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Durable design

Their design, and a slightly different one from the M.H. Rhodes company in Hartford, Conn., were the standard for parking meters for more than 40 years.

Durable design

Their design, and a slightly different one from the M.H. Rhodes company in Hartford, Conn., were the standard for parking meters for more than 40 years.

Photo: John Moore, Getty

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Oops

What may have been the first ticket for a violation was given to an Oklahoma City pastor who said he'd gone to a store to seek change to put in the meter.

Oops

What may have been the first ticket for a violation was given to an Oklahoma City pastor who said he'd gone to a store to seek change to put in the meter.

Photo: BILLY SMITH II, Houston Chronicle

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Advances

New meters may take credit cards or sync to a mobile phone. They handle multiple parking spaces and can report problems wirelessly.

Advances

New meters may take credit cards or sync to a mobile phone. They handle multiple parking spaces and can report problems wirelessly.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

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Smart

Many major cities allow for paying with a phone or a phone app.

Smart

Many major cities allow for paying with a phone or a phone app.

Photo: Michael Paulsen

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Still ...

The humble parking meter will never be beloved.

Still ...

The humble parking meter will never be beloved.

Photo: D. Fahleson, Houston Chronicle

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Joy Demark says she's saved in the neighborhood of $20 a month on her electricity bill by changing her habits. She says, for example, that she now runs her dishwasher only a few times a week, when it's stuffed. Photo: Melissa Phillip / © 2012 Houston Chronicle less

Joy Demark says she's saved in the neighborhood of $20 a month on her electricity bill by changing her habits. She says, for example, that she now runs her dishwasher only a few times a week, when it's stuffed. ... more

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electric meter; kilowatt hours; UTILITY METER Photo: James Steidl / handout / stock agency

electric meter; kilowatt hours; UTILITY METER Photo: James Steidl / handout / stock agency

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Joy Demark says she's saved in the neighborhood of $20 a month on her electricity bill by changing her habits. She says, for example, that she now runs her dishwasher only a few times a week, when it's stuffed. Photo: Karen Warren / © 2012 Houston Chronicle less

Joy Demark says she's saved in the neighborhood of $20 a month on her electricity bill by changing her habits. She says, for example, that she now runs her dishwasher only a few times a week, when it's stuffed. ... more

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A CenterPoint Energy smart meter at the Memorial area home of Joy Demark shown Tuesday, March 13, 2012, in Houston. The meters provide real-time power use information to electricity distributors and customers. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Melissa Phillip / © 2012 Houston Chronicle less

A CenterPoint Energy smart meter at the Memorial area home of Joy Demark shown Tuesday, March 13, 2012, in Houston. The meters provide real-time power use information to electricity distributors and customers. ... more

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Texas police investigating big crime with small payoff

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Nobody really likes shoveling change into parking meters. Some people downright hate it.

But, someone in Fort Worth has taken that dislike to a whole new level.

Police in the city are trying to figure out who has stolen at least 35 parking meters from city streets over the last month.

SEEKING HELP:Why police want you to put ICE on your phone

Officer Daniel Segura told WFAA-TV that some meters were cut clean off the post, while others were yanked out of the pavement.

It's a bizarre crime that's costing the city money beyond the small amount of revenue in each meter. A parking meter can cost $800 and sometimes more to replace.

The money kept inside the meters - around $10 to $15 at a time - is the likely motive.

To Segura, that's a small profit for a crime that can cause big trouble.

>>>Scroll through the gallery to see things you didn't know about parking meters

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