Police using motorists for fundraising

If you've noticed an increase in the number of police speed traps of late, you are not alone.

Traffic police in Michigan and elsewhere in the United States are turning motorists into mobile cash dispensers, as states' fund-raising efforts turn desperate.

Aside from the blatant misuse of law enforcement resources, this trend effectively amounts to a hidden taxation program and hopefully should arouse a public backlash...

The rest of the story...

:iagree: With the article. Especially where it gives reference to ticketing some of the other traffic offenses like weavers and left lane Sunday drivers etc. Seems like speeding tickets are where the Easy Money is, whereas the other traffic violations are harder to pick out or come across.
:shrug01:

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has announced a $1.2 million budget deficit for FY08. The Authority has ordered that deficit to be made up by increased speeding tickets on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which is I-90 from the New York state line to Boston. And if this isn't bad enough the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is a Commiewealth jobs program for every DemocRat Hack from Beacon Hill (Mass. Statehouse) who was either fired for gross incompetence, corruption or voted out of office.

Speed cameras and traps

It's been happening, here in Britain, for years now. The idea of further taxing the motorist was led by the Chief Constable for North Wales - Richard Brunstrom, who lives down the road from here. I'm surprised there isn't a bounty on his head. Let's hope it doesn't become as bad for you guys as it has for us. Everyone I know has been nicked for speeding around here lately. We even have average speed cameras, which take several hi-res pictures at 1-mile intervals and electronically send you a ticket through the post. I used to like living here, but I feel like a foreigner in my own country and I'm being taxed to death here. If anyone owns an engineering company over there and needs a hard worker then please help!!!

Law Enforcement Officers are "damned if they do, damned if they don't". If they aren't enforcing the law it's because they are just sitting around eating donuts being lazy and if they do enforce the law they are just harassing the public. Speed limits are laws, break them, pay the consequences.

It would be nice if it were that simple. When local authorities use "the law" as nothing more than a cynical means to fill the local treasury the people can't be criticized for their resenting "the law". It's too bad that law enforcement finds itself in the middle of this public farce many times, but they rarely do anything to encourage "local authorities" to end this abuse. I guess we can call it karma...

And there isn't anyone posting to this thread right now who isn't a law breaker every day. So let's stop the...

larrybroga said:

Law Enforcement Officers are "damned if they do, damned if they don't". If they aren't enforcing the law it's because they are just sitting around eating donuts being lazy and if they do enforce the law they are just harassing the public. Speed limits are laws, break them, pay the consequences.

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Larry I couldn't have said it better if I tried and I totally agree.

Tell me folks what's the first thing you say when some a**hole cuts you off or nearly runs you off the road, or goes flying by you like your standing still ? "Where's a cop when you need one?

Kap142 said:

Larry I couldn't have said it better if I tried and I totally agree.

Tell me folks what's the first thing you say when some a**hole cuts you off or nearly runs you off the road, or goes flying by you like your standing still ? "Where's a cop when you need one?

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I agree...but...just last friday, I'm in my truck (Big BOFO LANDCRUISER with a steel brush bar. 5k+ of lifted bust your asss truck ! Get the picture?) This A**hole chick in a passenger car simply hangs a left from the lane next to me about midship of her passenger door.

If I had not been paying attention, I'd have hit her broadside and pushed her yuoung ass to Bruce B. Downs (30th street)...we were just east of 22nd st:lmao:).

Now, here's the rub...Deputy Sheriff right behind me...see's the entire mess and does nada, zip, zilch, sheet for nothing!!!

FWIW, I was in charge of our motor squad here in Hillsborough County until I retired. I don't always blame the deputy/police officer or Trooper because they're just doing what they have to do. Sometimes you get a gugn ho arsehole that really enjoys writing tickets for BS, but like our motor guys (at the time) we wrote major moving violations, speed in excess of 15 in most places (except school zones) and serious equiptment violations.

Then it started.....

Although it's ILLEGAL In' Florida to have quotas, suggestions are certainly made regularly. If you want to retain your position on the squad, you'll write X number of citations. If you want to get promoted, depending on your supervisor, you'll write X # of citations....activity, activity, activity

Forget the bad guy go write a ticket. Now granted, many many criminals are captured on traffic stops:thumbsup:and they are great probable cause for other things, but a lot of this chicken chit ticket writing is simply revenue.

When the municipalities started losing funding, instead of learning to live within a budget such as you and I and any other non-governmental business, they simply started increasing ticket revenues.

There's a relatively simple fix for speeding, red light running, and such and I've said it dozens of times before. Take the "human factor" out, remove or severly limit driving school options, and make fines and penalties much stiffer.

If we really gave a chit about safety, this is where it would be now. The rest of this is revenue.

Finally, I see all the unmarked trucks, toyotas, etc we are using for "enforcement" and it saddens me

Traffic enforcement is and alway should be about education first. If I stop you and it's get's your attention, stops the action and will likely get the attention of all the other motorist passing by (ever notice how people automatically slow down?), then I've done my job:thumbsup:

Aarrrrrggghhh!!!! I gotta shut up now!!! Have to get back to work.

This whole thing pisses me off!

Mr97Eldo said:

It would be nice if it were that simple. When local authorities use "the law" as nothing more than a cynical means to fill the local treasury the people can't be criticized for their resenting "the law". It's too bad that law enforcement finds itself in the middle of this public farce many times, but they rarely do anything to encourage "local authorities" to end this abuse. I guess we can call it karma...

And there isn't anyone posting to this thread right now who isn't a law breaker every day. So let's stop the...

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It's not completely up to LEO's to "encourage local authorities" to end the so called abuse. If you have a problem with speed limits or their enforcement you should direct your "rant" to the "local authorities" who can actually change policy!
As for daily law breakers, be careful of who you are throwing stones at and where you are throwing them from.

larrybroga said:

It's not completely up to LEO's to "encourage local authorities" to end the so called abuse. If you have a problem with speed limits or their enforcement you should direct your "rant" to the "local authorities" who can actually change policy!
As for daily law breakers, be careful of who you are throwing stones at and where you are throwing them from.

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He has a point. :thumbsup:

It's rarely up to us (them) what the speed limits are going nor do we know when the administration is going to get thier panties in a wad and decide to start getting crazy with traffic tickets

We note trouble areas based oin stats, TARS and personal observations and deal with them the best way we (they) can.

If we have a problem with a particular intersection or a light, then you'll see vigerous enforcement.

Speed, thats up to the officer, but I seldom wrote anyone outside a school zone under 15 over the limit.

What I have a problem with is when the administration starts using citations as revenue generators That's not what TLE is all about folks!!!

And when officers hide (yes, hide!) and watch no "U" turn signs and such crap instead of proactively patrolling the streets (which deters othe crime as well as traffic enforcement), then I have an issue.
If you want to save lives, BE SEEN!!!!!

I have no problem with speed limits and I have no problem with enforcing speed limits and highway safety by officers. It is our responsibility as citizens to OBEY TRAFFIC LAWS. Moreover, I encourage “Joe Public” to assist officers whenever we can and to be nice to cops. What I have a problem with is the use of unmarked police vehicles and other methods of entrapment (and the supporting legal system) to facilitate the mugging of the citizenry by local officials who will not control their spending and, with the support of their enablers in law enforcement, use unsuspecting, law-abiding motorists as the goose that laid the golden egg in order to hide their profligate, corrupt and incompetent ways from the voters.

And THAT is the primary use of speed limit enforcement. Shadow is right on the mark with his comments and observations and it is naïve in the extreme for citizens to “obey the speed limits” and ignore the larger issues involved here. If we do these abuses will only get worse. Highway safety is NOT the goal of traffic law enforcement these days, local revenue enhancement is. Police Chiefs have the responsibility to enforce traffic laws AND not enable politicians and civic administrations’ cynical abuse of these laws by using traffic fines as a bald faced method of extorting cash from motorists with which to fill their treasuries.

“As for daily law breakers, be careful of who you are throwing stones at and where you are throwing them from.”

As I said; there isn’t one person who’s posting to this forum who does not daily exceed speed limits and, therefore, is not a daily law breaker. Case closed.

Quick rant Shadow buddy..... Not an attack - just my opinion sir.

Shadow said:

I agree...but...just last friday, I'm in my truck (Big BOFO LANDCRUISER with a steel brush bar. 5k+ of lifted bust your asss truck ! Get the picture?) This A**hole chick in a passenger car simply hangs a left from the lane next to me about midship of her passenger door.

If I had not been paying attention, I'd have hit her broadside and pushed her yuoung ass to Bruce B. Downs (30th street)...we were just east of 22nd st:lmao:).

Now, here's the rub...Deputy Sheriff right behind me...see's the entire mess and does nada, zip, zilch, sheet for nothing!!!

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Oh come on Shadow. You know as well as I do that if the Deputy stopped EVERY violation he saw his commute would last HOURS just to get home after his regular shift - not to mention that he would never get to any calls during the shift. I'd be willing to bet you had a pair of blinders that you put on when you were tired or going x7 for the night.... we all do. It's called discretion. Several million people live in the Tampa Bay area and most of them drive cars with only one occupant... The math isn't very hard.

YOU also know that he could have been on his way to a call. We have all had those zone partners who seem to get an important traffic stop at the most opportune times... like when a call gets sent to them. The call may or may not have been a priority response call, but I save the breaking from calls to make a traffic stop for a special day. I have my pet peeves like I'm sure all cops do. Maybe the violation that occurred was not in the Deputies list of peeves. To me violation of a right of way is right there near the top, but again it may not have been to him. Also, maybe he has been chewed on for making x50 stops on the way to a call and leaving partners hanging.. or better yet he doesn't want to be viewed as a slug to his partners so he doesn't make infraction stops and saves them for good criminal cites and DWLSR type stops.

Another point to consider is that you also probably were working during the use of Mobile Data Terminals in the car. He very well could have been looking at it for that moment and been reading a call or tag info or any other message. I know alot of police accidents at my department can be directly attributed to that stupid computer in the car. When he was done he looked back up and the event was over, or close enough that the violation was missed. I personally won't write a ticket to anyone if I am not 100% sure I saw the violation occur.

Cut him some slack.... You weren't the only car on that roadway... and you have been on the other side of that same type of cynical type of statement you made here... I wasn't so long ago that you have already forgotten.


///:thumbsup:

Just my .02

I myself have passed up some traffic issues because the call I was on was a higher priority. But, in the public's eye, they don't know that. Many think that if we're not going 10-18 we're not doing anything. Most agencies have policy that insist we respond code one to most calls unless immenent danger exist to a human's life. On a side note, I'm sure you've had this happen to you....You're sitting at a traffic light when a call for a traffic crash is on the screen, so you go code two but another unit is closer and takes the call, so, after you've gone through an intersection, you shut down the lights and everyone thinks you just lit it up so you didn't have to wait on the light!

Mr97Eldo said:

I have no problem with speed limits and I have no problem with enforcing speed limits and highway safety by officers. It is our responsibility as citizens to OBEY TRAFFIC LAWS. Moreover, I encourage “Joe Public” to assist officers whenever we can and to be nice to cops. What I have a problem with is the use of unmarked police vehicles and other methods of entrapment (and the supporting legal system) to facilitate the mugging of the citizenry by local officials who will not control their spending and, with the support of their enablers in law enforcement, use unsuspecting, law-abiding motorists as the goose that laid the golden egg in order to hide their profligate, corrupt and incompetent ways from the voters.

And THAT is the primary use of speed limit enforcement. Shadow is right on the mark with his comments and observations and it is naïve in the extreme for citizens to “obey the speed limits” and ignore the larger issues involved here. If we do these abuses will only get worse. Highway safety is NOT the goal of traffic law enforcement these days, local revenue enhancement is. Police Chiefs have the responsibility to enforce traffic laws AND not enable politicians and civic administrations’ cynical abuse of these laws by using traffic fines as a bald faced method of extorting cash from motorists with which to fill their treasuries.

“As for daily law breakers, be careful of who you are throwing stones at and where you are throwing them from.”

As I said; there isn’t one person who’s posting to this forum who does not daily exceed speed limits and, therefore, is not a daily law breaker. Case closed.

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Why are you so opposed to the use of unmarked vehicles? Strikes me as a little narrow. So are you saying it's OK to do all the wrong you wish cause you're not near a "marked" unit to make you behave?

Read my post again Kap and then think about what I wrote in it...

Your position is that local authorities are NOT using speeding tickets as revenue enhancement?

I look at things totaly different.My car was manufactured with extra spirt and loves speed.There for the car should get the ticket.

If you wanna play, you gotta pay!

85vette said:

If you wanna play, you gotta pay!

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Thats ok .Hell at my age they'll take my keys in another couple years.:hehehe:

Maybe we should be able to buy tickets in advance in book form. Kind of like you do for some toll booths to make it easier and cheaper for commuters. The police force might be missing a good (revenue) thing with this. :hehehe:

Perhaps get the insurance companies to drop those point thingies, so it is strictly a revenue issue between drivers and law enforcement. Let me buy a book of speeding tickets for, say $1,000. When I get pulled over, I just hand one to the police officer, and am on my way. When I run out, I buy another book. EVERYONE is happy then. The cops get their quotas and WE know how much speeding is going to cost us and decide if we are willing to pay the price... Budgets get fattened up by those who are willing to pay for the speeding infractions ahead of time.

It could even be progressive..... Each book has 10 tickets. 10 over speed limit costs 1 ticket, 20 over costs 2, 30 over costs 4, 40 over costs 8, etc., etc......

Maybe even certain roads could have a toll booth where you deposit tickets in advance for how fast you want to go on it...... :lmao:

Heck, I'm just kidding, of course, but the more I think about it, the more I am liking this idea........... :hehehe:

Heck, why not?

I think that's ahelluvagood idea!:thumbsup: