When there’s an issue, call the authorities. That’s the message police are sending to residents in a small Arizona town after conflicts bubbled up about parking.
More than a million people visit Jerome every year. The small town in Central Arizona between Flagstaff and Prescott was once known as the “wickedest town in the West.” It’s now home to about 450 people and The Mine Museum, which explores its copper mining history. It’s a hot spot for artists, tourists, and gift shop owners.
The Jerome Police Department posted on Facebook on July 11 that they’ve been made aware of residents, fed up with tourists’ parking habits, yelling at tourists or leaving notes on their cars.
“It has come to our attention that some people visiting our town on short visits and using lawful short term parking passes are being yelled at or having notes left on their cars by local residents,” the police department wrote in the Facebook post.
“Yelling at, or leaving notes could, in some cases, constitute harassment under Arizona Revised Statutes. If you feel there may be a parking violation please notify the Jerome Police Department to investigate.”
The post was updated on July 14. “We would like to offer a clarification on our original post. This was never intended to call out any specific person or group of persons. We are simply reminding our residents to call us if they observe a possible crime like trespassing, or violation of Town code, such as a parking violation. It is always better to allow the police department to handle these issues.”
That was followed by another update on July 15 clarifying again the meaning behind the original post. This time, Jerome’s police chief says his primary concern is that there is not a physical altercation over a simple parking issue.
“I say this because often there seems to be a lack of respect for one another in society today, and that can lead to violence,” said Jerome Police Chief Allen L. Muma in the Facebook post. “Please understand that you never know the state of mind of the person you may confront. Leave the confrontations to the police, that is our job.
We have clearly posted signage advising visitors of places they are not to park, and we issue citations to violators. We ask that visitors understand that the residents who live here have a right to park where they live, so when they return home after getting off work, or return home with groceries, they have a place to park.”
Parking In Jerome
There are plenty of places to park in Jerome. In the Facebook post, the Chief directed people to a large paved and patrolled free parking area with a shuttle that routinely provides transportation to the main part of town. There is also free parking along parts of Main Street, which is adjacent to the popular area where shops, restaurants, and the post office is located.
The town has four “pay-to-park” areas that cost around $4 to park all day and can be paid at any parking kiosk with a credit card. Parking must be paid for between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. Vehicles with handicapped placards may park for free.
Named National Historic District
Despite recent misunderstandings between tourists and locals, Jerome is well worth a day trip from Phoenix, which is 111 miles to the south. Jerome is also about 150 miles south of the Grand Canyon and just under 30 miles southwest of Sedona.
The federal government designated Jerome a national historic district in 1967, a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
Discover other unique towns in Arizona:
