Patriot Brief
- What Happened: A San Diego parking officer allegedly issued a fraudulent citation moments after chalking a Tesla’s tire, unaware Sentry Mode was recording.
- Why It Matters: The footage suggests city employees could be abusing enforcement power, and Tesla’s cameras may be the only accountability some drivers have.
- Bottom Line: Technology is exposing what used to stay hidden. Tesla’s Sentry Mode might be the best parking protection money can buy.
Tesla’s built-in surveillance may have just exposed a parking scam in broad daylight. A San Diego couple says a parking enforcement officer slapped them with a bogus ticket only seconds after chalking their tire, and Tesla’s Sentry Mode caught the whole thing on camera.
Tesla owner Vanessa Pearce told local media she walked back to her car early because her meter was close to expiring. She added another 30 minutes to avoid a citation. What she didn’t expect was to find an officer marking her tire and immediately writing a ticket claiming the chalk mark had been there “in excess of two hours.”
Her husband wasn’t buying it. “Lo and behold, there was this video evidence of him chalking the tire and then immediately writing the citation,” he said. The footage shows the officer chalk, stand up, and begin issuing the citation within seconds.
NEW: Tesla owners allegedly catch a parking enforcement officer on camera issuing a fraudulent citation.
Tesla owner Vanessa Pearce says they confronted a parking enforcement officer after he chalked the tire and then immediately issued a citation.
Thanks to Tesla's Sentry… pic.twitter.com/08IaU8nZOD
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 10, 2025
The couple confronted the officer, and the interaction has since spread online, sparking outrage over what many are calling blatant fraud.
Thanks to Tesla’s Sentry Mode — which records the car’s surroundings when motion is detected — the entire sequence was preserved on video. Tesla owners have used Sentry Mode to catch vandals, hit-and-runs, and thieves, but rarely does it expose questionable conduct from a city employee.
San Diego officials have yet to comment on the specific incident. Meanwhile, Tesla drivers everywhere are reminding cities of one thing: the camera never lies.