Posted on 10/29/2019 12:17:26 PM PDT by cann
Burdening the poor with vexatious fines—which potentially lead, if people are unable to pay their fines, to imprisonment—is bad for society. A new study from the Institute for Justice, "The Price of Taxation by Citation," demonstrates the serious consequences not just for unfortunate citizens who have harmed no one, but for civic peace in general.
The study focuses on three Georgia cities that derive 14 to 25 percent of their revenue from such fines and fees: Morrow, Riverdale, and Clarkston. (The average for the state is more like 3 percent.) "The cities have their own courts to process citations, and the evidence shows these courts, which are structurally dependent on the cities, operate as well-oiled machines," the study reports. "They churn through more cases than courts in similarly sized cities, and cases almost always end in a guilty finding, resulting in fines and fees revenue for the cities."
The cities have small population bases on which to prey, ranging from 7,500 to 16,500. They are fined, among other things, for "traffic tickets…for non-speeding violations, such as expired tags, lane violations, illegal U-turns, parking violations and window tinting, among numerous others," as well as "trivial infractions…dominated almost entirely by offenses like being in a park after closing, violating leash laws and not walking on sidewalks."
Overall, the study found, most of these revenue-generating tickets are "for traffic and other ordinance violations that presented little threat to public health and safety. Traffic violations posed only moderate risk on average, while property code violations were primarily about aesthetics. This suggests the cities are using their code enforcement powers for ends other than public protection."
“This suggests the cities are using their code enforcement powers for ends other than public protection”
Speed traps for revenue raising have been around a long time.
Maybe we just follow the Constitution and eliminate all these fines that exceed $20 and require Jury trials just like it says.
I have maintained for quite a while that a lot of places use the police as revenue collectors. Most of their time is spent issuing traffic citations, while more serious crime is not given the attention it needs.
I’ve hoped for years that every one of them would lose every job and dry up and turn into ghost towns, too.
Florida - seat belt ticket $116.00 (and they will pull you over and cite you if they visibly see you not wearing one)
Missouri - seat belt ticket $10.00 (only given if they pull you over for some other infraction and see you not wearing one)
I’ve heard Florida’s #2 source of revenue is the criminal justice system second only to tourism. Don’t know if true.
Make enough regulation (not law) so everyone is always guilty of something regardless of what they do or do not do and you’ll have a steady stream of income. That is until they all move away and the local government is left scratching their heads trying to figure out why the population dropped to 250 from 20,000.
This is basically my problem with “Sin Taxes”
When the sin goes away the government has to find another vice to persecute
So-called “Sin Taxes” if imposed, should not go into government coffers
The city of Dallas put in red light cameras. The fines from traffic tickets were to pay for the cameras. Drivers quit running red lights and the incoming funds were way less than projected.
As a Texan who well remembers the Selma days, I can tell you that most small towns with speed traps are as crooked and corrupt as the day is long.
Georgia. This google search is fun: https://www.google.com/search?q=georgia+towns+can%27t+issue+speedint+tickets
The reason is that it will give you articles like this one from 2014: https://www.governing.com/topics/finance/georgia-towns-are-getting-rich-off-speeding-tickets.html
But then this one from 2015: “Georgia’s revised speed-trap law sets new limits on ticket revenue” https://www.macon.com/news/politics-government/article30284880.html
It is so bad there the state had to step in. I moved to KY back in 2011. There are only 5 US states I’ve never driven in. Georgia is one of them. Even though it is now close by, if I can help it I will never visit that state.
While used to describe small town speed traps, the same concept is often worse in the biggest cities.
Compare Morrow, Riverdale or Clarkston to Chicago, DC or NYC.
Let's discuss whom is the most outrageous offender.
To me Chicago will be one of the greatest offenders, just based on towing policies supported by the city aldermen.
“Burdening the poor with vexatious fines—which potentially lead, if people are unable to pay their fines, to imprisonment—is bad for society. A new study from the Institute for Justice, “The Price of Taxation by Citation,” demonstrates the serious consequences not just for unfortunate citizens who have harmed no one, but for civic peace in general.”
No kidding? Whatever money they spent on this was obviously well spent.
I’m sure this was written by Professor Obvious.
It got so bad in Mississippi that they passed a law in the 70’s making it illegal for a town with less than 2500 people to use radar. Every podunk town was dropping their speed limit to 25 mph and funding their coffers from the revenue. Unfortunately the law is poorly worded and towns use every loophole they can to work around it with the state attorney general granting them waivers. As soon as they get the waiver they go out and buy radar guns & start raking in the money.
If states took the money from traffic tickets from the towns and pooled it and then evenly distributed it, I would bet there would be a 90% drop in Traffic tickets.
What’s scary is just think of all the police, town DAs, judges, etc who know perfectly what they doing is BS and they are hurting and scamming people, and yet they do it anyhow. It’s sad there’s actually more than enough people in this country who lack morals and shame to eagerly do these jobs.
Dam shame it’s the 90% of police officers who are corrupt that give the other good 10% officers a bad name
Even Norman Rockwell memorialized it with “Speed Trap”.
In 1987 I was in a SUV with 5 other people heading east on I-10 and we got pulled over in Van Horn, TX. They cited everyone in the car for seat belt violations for $50 each and the diver also got a citation for speeding. They told us we could spend the night in jail or pay the fines by mail. The officer watched them out the citation with a check in a stamped envelope and watched them put it in the mailbox before we could go. Total speed trap scam.
I didn't get a ticket because as we were being pulled over I put my seat belt on. My fellow travelers were pissed that I didn't get a ticket.
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