Posted on 01/12/2009 10:15:05 AM PST by Between the Lines
The economy is in the toilet. So do yourself a favor and ease up on the accelerator.
That's the indirect message of a recent study by two economists, who found that when government revenues dry up, police write more speeding tickets. After analyzing 14 years of data in North Carolina, the pair found that for every 1 percent drop in government revenue, the number of traffic tickets issued per capita increases by 30 percent the following year.
“It's significant,” said University of Arkansas-Little Rock economics professor Gary Wagner, who co-authored Red Ink in the Rearview Mirror: Local Fiscal Conditions and the Issuance of Traffic Tickets. “If there was no revenue for issuing tickets, I wouldn't expect the unemployment rate and revenue to be related.”
The study, which analyzed data from 1989 to 2003, found the lowest number of tickets issued in North Carolina was in 2000, after nearly a decade of economic growth. There were roughly 645,000 tickets written that year. The highest number of tickets came two years later, when governments were trying to recover from the post 9-11 recession, and issued roughly 768,000.
Wagner said the study reinforced a theory held universally by economists: Incentives matter.
“If local governments are somehow involved in the revenue that gets generated, there's an incentive to get more revenue,” Wagner said.
For some, the idea of government relying on lead-footed drivers to balance the budget isn't a revelation. We warn one another about small-town speed traps, and it's widely assumed that tickets are being written with more than just public safety in mind.
Wagner said there are numerous anecdotes nationwide of such practices, such as the mayor of Nashville, Tenn., proposing two years ago a 33 percent increase in ticket revenue in his budget.
Wagner's co-author, Thomas Garrett, is an assistant vice president at the St. Louis Federal Reserve. North Carolina was chosen as a case study simply because the state had good data.
During the study period, N.C. issued 11 tickets for every 100 residents. Dare County had the highest rate, at 29 per 100. Caldwell County was the lowest, at 6 per 100.
The study didn't have detailed information on Mecklenburg.
The N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police couldn't be reached for comment. Some area police officers were skeptical.
Robert Fey, a spokesman for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, said the study isn't true.
“Absolutely not,” Fey said. “I've been stopped by friends and family who thinks there is such a thing as a quota, and that's illegal. We write citations to enforce traffic laws. It's a good conspiracy theory. It doesn't exist in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.”
Wagner said his research doesn't imply police departments have quotas. He speculates that the increase in tickets might simply be the result of more people tasked with enforcement, or more people are given tickets instead of warnings.
One Matthews police officer said he doesn't believe government relies on tickets in hard times.
“I've never heard of anyone say ‘We need to write more tickets,'” said officer Stason Tyrell. “We don't get the revenue.”
Said Sgt. Tim Hartsell of the Concord Police Department: “I've been doing this for 18 years. That's never been a consideration of mine. We don't get anything from the tickets we write.”
Ticket fines in North Carolina go to the county school district in which the ticket was issued. Though the money doesn't go directly to a police department, Wagner said revenue that once funded schools can be replaced with speeding ticket revenue. That transfer could then free up tax revenue for other departments, including police.
N.C. school districts have often complained that ticket revenue should be in addition to their regular allotment – and not replacing dollars from another source.
Wagner said he's tried to think of another explanation for the jump in tickets following downturns. Do unemployed people drive faster?
“I don't think so,” Wagner said. “I don't think that's plausible.”
There is no quota. There are “performance indexes” one of them being the number of written tickets. It’s defacto quota. IOW, Peeing on your head and calling it rain.
Yep, already seeing more “small town” cops out on the Interstate and main hiways hustling up the budget. Definately need to slow down or become a profit center.
For every $1 of ticket revenue a community gets, I bet $8 additional goes to insurance companies.
Communities that write lots of tickets, untimately shoot themselves in the foot, as their citizens become insurance poor, and spend less in the community.
Gubmit is gonna git the money out of yer hide, one way or another.
I live in Nashville and it incensed me to hear the mayor here say that years ago. We hear this blather about “public safety”, for example, but I read a report concerning a study showing that these “red light cameras” had no effect on safety, but lengthening the time of the yellow light had a significant impact on cutting down the number of accidents. Of course, there’s no money in that so it will be ignored.
Just the boys in blue, assuring they have a well-paid job with good perks.
Arbitrarily low speed limits and punitive tickets are conditioning for total tyranny. Out near where I live the posted speed limits on country roads with a population density of 2-3 house per square mile even the road graders are speeding. Putting a stop sign at an intersection where maybe 100 cars pass and requiring it to be obeyed is not just moronic but tyranny.
Just the boys in blue, assuring they have a well-paid job with good perks.
Insurance companies and lawyers lobby politicians too.
As long as the legislators are getting money, the laws we have will be influenced by things other than public interest.
Anything to squeeze a little more money out of the serfs. What till Hussein is fully seated on his throne and seeks further funds from the serfs of the appropriate status while other serfs will be given a free pass in the handout line.
Very heart o'da'matter, only it's the insurance companies who've gone poor also.
They've lobbied for this as a way to get some coins in their coffers.
The bailouts didn't fill their bellies enough.
When the revenue generating camera's come online in the next few years, there won't be any need for any cops or politicos to put themselves on the spot. And they'l still get a hefty revenue kick in the process.
Camera's are gonna be EVERYWHERE, just like Britain.
“Communities that write lots of tickets, untimately shoot themselves in the foot, as their citizens become insurance poor, and spend less in the community.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That one is so obvious...that I had never thought of it before, but once it is said it is indisputable.
With the feds planning on a 2 trillion deficit, ANYONE WITH MONEY SHOULD GET THEIR PAPERWORK IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR AN IRS AUDIT NOW.
I had a first-hand does of this in a very small incorporated area in the Miami area recently. On a road with a constant speed-trap one night, pulled over for ‘tag light out’! (it really was, no way I would have ever noticed though :/ if car lights are on, I am driving )
then seat belt added. gun had to be run (clean, of course, after 20 min more). I am insured but didn’t ahve card (or couldnt find it, not sure) so got one for that though it will be dropped immediately. 3 tickets for “tag light out” stop?
Yes, i am polite, yes-sir no-sir, ask permission to open glove box before i do etc.
honestly, I can probably beat these in court via proxy but with no moving violations, this is just bs. I have not had a non-purged (1 in 2005 due to factual state error, was purged immediately) ticket since 1994, and to get a handful of legalized harrassment that will cost me at least a couple hundred bucks to fight for what, in many jurisdictions, would have been a warning, jades my already-cynical view about the state of american law enforcement.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.