Parking enforcement officers 

People who work in parking enforcement are commonly known as parking attendants, parking enforcement officers, etc. At places with parking meters they're also known as meter attendants, parking inspectors or traffic wardens.

What do they do?

Parking enforcement officers make sure that people follow the parking rules and regulations. As a member of the traffic department, they are appointed to issue tickets for parking violations.

Normally when a parking enforcement officer notices a parking violation, he prints a ticket and places a copy of the ticket on the windshield of the car for the owner to find. This way the car owner knows he can expect a fine. After writing the ticket, the parking enforcement officer files the ticket to the local authority and a few weeks later the driver receives the official fine by mail.

A parking ticket placed on the windshield of a car

Handheld ticket writer

Enforcement officers usually use a handheld ticket write while auditing. This is a computer that is small enough to be held in one's hand to write electronic parking citations.

Critique

All around the world parking enforcement officers have to deal with lots of critique from  the public. People generally dislike parking enforcement officers since they are the face of their parking tickets. Also accusations that parking enforcement officers have to fine a minimum number of parked cars on a daily basis as a result of high pressure management, whether this is true or false, triggers feelings of discontent and prejudice against the officers. Some people feel like parking enforcement officers are only assigned to generate more money for the local authority instead of increasing the traffic flow.