A clever app aimed at helping San Francisco residents sidestep parking tickets has been abruptly shut down by the city, mere hours after its debut. Riley Walz, the 22-year-old visionary behind ‘Find My Parking Cops,’ found his creation dismantled by city officials with astonishing speed.
How the App Worked
Walz developed ‘Find My Parking Cops’ with the specific goal of assisting San Francisco residents in avoiding parking fines. Launched on a Tuesday, the app provided users with near real-time tracking of parking enforcement officers’ locations. It even featured a leaderboard showcasing officers who had issued the most fines that week, with one officer, identified as ‘Officer 0336,’ reportedly topping the list with over $15,000 in citations before the app’s functionality was compromised.
City’s Swift Action
In a remarkably swift move, the city of San Francisco responded to the app’s launch by altering its website just four hours later, effectively removing public access to the parking citation data that powered Walz’s application. Walz shared the news on X, stating that the city acted with “lightning speed” to disable his app.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesperson Erica Kato explained the city’s decision, emphasizing the need to protect its officers and ensure the enforcement of parking regulations. “Citations are a tool to ensure compliance with parking laws, which help keep our streets safe and use our limited curb space efficiently and fairly,” Kato stated in an email. While acknowledging the potential for creative technology use, she stressed the importance of employee safety and preventing disruption.
Public Acclaim for the App Creator
Despite its brief existence, the ‘Find My Parking Cops’ app garnered significant attention and praise on social media. Users lauded Walz, with one calling him “San Francisco’s people’s princess.” Many expressed frustration with the city’s swift action, with comments like “Why can’t they just let us have nice things? You are a genius Riley,” and “They did not want the public to know how much they are stealing from the citizens.” Others referred to Walz as a “legend” for his innovative approach.
Conversely, the city’s rapid response to shut down the app drew criticism. One X user noted the unusual speed of government action, exclaiming, “I’ve never seen the city move that fast to do anything. Anything!” Another user quipped, “Wow, government being swift, that’s unusual.”