Armando Arce has been a parking officer in Jefferson City for six years, and he says he loves that the position allows him to help and get to know people.
"Tourists come from all over, and it's great to get to work with them," he said. "I also like working with my boss and coworkers. We're all like one big family."
Arce is one of three parking officers employed by the Jefferson City Public Works Parking Division. The officers create parking for the public, provide information to the public, check parking meters to make sure people don't park past the time limit, write tickets for parking violations and assist with snow removal so that there are clean city sidewalks. Each officer has a parking vehicle they drive around the city.
"We make sure everyone has a chance to park," Arce said.
Arce was born and raised in Chicago. He has five siblings: three sisters and two brothers.
He has three daughters. One is a junior at Truman State University, one lives in Kansas City and the other attendsa Jefferson City High School.
Arce moved to Missouri in 1993. Prior to working as a parking officer, he worked at Cargill in California.
He said it took some time adjusting to a more rural life, but now he loves it.
"I was used to noise," he said. "But in a small town, all you hear are cows and dogs. I did go stir crazy for about a year."
He said Jefferson City is a good city to work for and a great city to visit. His job allows him to better visitors' experiences.
"If we (parking officers) don't know the answer to a question, we'll sure find one," Arce said.