The way it works is that the speed limit drops from 60 mph to 35 mph in a matter of a half mile or so. Cops sit there and catch motorists (tourists, mostly). They threaten to arrest them and give them 30 days of jail time. Then they offer to let them go in exchange for paying cash to the officer.
According to the report, the reporters watched the chief of police write 8 of those tickets in just two hours. All but one of the drivers was from out of state and paid the fine rather than stay around to go to court. Lucrative for the city. This way, the city keeps the entire fine, while writing an actual speeding ticket causes them to split the money with the state.The officer didn't arrest Hudson for driving without a license, instead he made Marques an offer."He asked me for $488, so they can let me go," he said."So, it was either you pay the money or go to jail?" Barr asked."Or go to jail, yep," Marques said.The chief gave Marques a receipt for the bond he posted, then allowed one of the other men in the van to drive away from the scene."At the end though, you decided: either you comply, pay the ticket or you go to jail?" Barr asked."Yeah, I pay the ticket, I don't want to go to jail because I'm working, so I just pay him cash," Marques told WIS.
The town encompasses only 1.3 square miles and has a population of only 766 people. This town has 4 cops that write $650,000 a year in traffic tickets. (pdf warning) The total city budget is $1.9 million a year, with traffic tickets comprising a third of the city's income.Even more amazing is that the per capita income of the city is $13,465, and the per capita cost of city government is $2,482, or about 18%.
It is things like this that make me believe that we are becoming a third world, banana republic police state. Since this is illegal under state law, how are the cops in this case any different from any other armed robber?
2 comments:
Up here in Minnesota there's a trend towards municipalities issuing their own tickets. The price is cheaper than a regular State ticket, and they have the backup of submitting the ticket to the State if you don't pay up. If you pay, the ticket doesn't go on your driving record.
The municipality gets 100% of the proceeds rather than 25% of the marginally higher State ticket.
Win-win.
I got a ticket a couple years ago that had the option of a driver safety class put on by the jurisdiction that cost half of the ticket value. That also resulted in the ticket going away.
So you see it as a win for you that a city decides to take less of your money than a state would?
“If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.” ― Samuel Adams
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