Police Caught Writing Too Many Tickets: Ordered to Stop

[@-darkangelic-]

The fact that AR actually had to pass a Speed Trap Law makes you wonder how widespread the problem has been.

[@supersportus]

It was a problem for a while in numerous areas. Tyronza on what was then US 63 wrote so many tickets that the law was passed around 1996. Gilmore is just a few miles down the road. Typical of these speed trap towns, it's the new four lane bypass or interstate highway on the edge of town that provides the victims of these traps. I paid mine at Tyronza for 52 in a 45 .

[@jhoughjr1]

Living close to Arkansas I can say no one drives the speed limit in the Ozark. Ppl die every month on our roads in accidents.

[@jhoughjr1]

@@supersportus idk how I managed to drive the exact speed I want. it’s so weird being in control of my vehicle

[@abzzeus]

Alabama had Brookside - look it up - they got a MASSIVE police department on the back of traffic tickets over half the town's budget was made up of traffic tickets

[@dougkennedy6452]

Yeah it’s sorta poduk.. yes , you pronounced it correctly.

[@mikekwayne]

I went to a small town college with a speed trap that only ticketed college kids. The Justice of the Peace never let a student off. So..the college kids all registered to vote in the town, since we out numbered the town, elected our own Justice of the Peace. The speed trap was suddenly gone and the town was much more accommodating to students.

[@ericvoge6678]

Nuyce!

[@seanclark8452]

That's awesome!

[@kunzilla]

"Cops in a small town" sums it up perfectly and says it all.

[@jansugalski4856]

They get a little power and think they own the world.

[@ericemmons3040]

And it's too bad; all police agencies should confine themselves to protecting life, limb, and property, especially small-town agencies. If there's not enough action in the life, limb, and property arena to necessitate their existence, then said small-town agencies should be disbanded and their duties handed over to the county sheriff.

[@JCR6573]

Hillsboro Texas was so bad about speeding tickets on I-35 that the state put up barriers in the median through town to keep the local cops from doing u-turns. Mid to late 70s.

[@aky115]

Lmfao, I’m from DFW and that’s hilarious.

[@donnavandezande3905]

Our city was hosting several police departments in town for some training. During the lunch period, I observed an out of town officer put his light bar on to do a u-turn on Main Street for a parking space on the opposite side of the street. I just shook my head.

[@benjaminsorenson]

That's hilarious.

[@mayoluck]

@@aky115 why i love hauling arse on i35/i75 you have to be on my side of the road to get me.

[@brian5o]

I live in Florida and we had a town that was a very well-known speed trap town for a very long time, Waldo, FL. Several years ago, the entire police department was disbanded because of it. BTW, I loved the Red Sovine reference.

[@alvarolopez8949]

Fun thought Exercise: If everyone contested their tickets, the cop would be stuck in court all day and couldn't write more tickets. If he doesn't go to court, they lose the revenue from the original ticket.

[@RayleighCriterion]

You can also demand to seize and seal the radar gun as defense evidence, if the radar gun is hard mounted to the cruiser, then they have to seal the car and have a tow truck move it to a secured parking lot, until your trial.

[@ptrckhgn89]

But they get to add in court costs and other fees to the ticket if you contest and lose. This can double, triple or even quadruple the cost of the ticket. For example, $100 ticket, $65 court costs, $10 cashier fee (to pay by CC, when the alternative is to use an ATM with same fee, likely also going to the City.), $75 trial fee, Etc. And going back into town you run the risk of another ticket and/or a parking ticket. And the simple solution might be for them to schedule the court during slow traffic times. I have seen courts in small towns like this open at 8 pm and go to 10 pm. IF they don't get to you, you have to come back. Each trip a risk.

[@RayleighCriterion]

@@ptrckhgn89 If you win in court, which is very easy, you have the right to sue the prosecutor for defamation.

[@ptrckhgn89]

@@RayleighCriterion You are not likely to win in an Arkansas traffic court. And you can't sue a city attorney. You could sue the city, but not the attorney.

[@jessedukowitz6267]

Well in Alaska it don’t matter if they show up or not you still get the fine

[@ecay]

There's a town in Oklahoma called shamrock and they lost their police department because they were writing. Nearly 100% of their revenue was coming from traffic tickets. They had about 200 residents and I think they had a bar that was their business but they got audited two years in a row and got a warning the first year in the second year they lost the police department not just no ability to write tickets. They had lost the ability to even have a police department

[@edletain385]

That's what happens when you have no money to pay them.

[@tioswift3676]

That’s crazy!!!

[@stewart8127]

Good

[@additudeobx]

In Oklahoma.... must be a New Sheriff in town....

[@BlizzardofOze]

That sounds like one of those things I'd read on Fox news but it turns out the police department both brought it upon themselves and also was given options to keep the department open but chose not to out of pettiness (as always seems to be the case when you dig a single layer deep on right wing media)

[@kevinshields8278]

I totally agree with what you're saying about the funds from tickets! With everything else that's been going on with law enforcement, people you wonder why the majority don't trust them.

[@ericemmons3040]

If police/sheriff/etc. agencies would confine themselves to protection of life, limb, and property, they might be able to keep or regain the respect they're supposed to have. But police agencies writing penny-ante tickets for ridiculous stuff and confiscating people's money through civil asset forfeiture just makes people angry and inclines them to not want to support said agencies. Police or other law agencies that exist solely or mainly to raise revenue should be disbanded.

[@robertm348]

@@ericemmons3040 In most cases though, it's not the police initiating the excessive and abusive tickets/fines, but at the direction of a lawyer (sorry, Steve...) acting in a governmental role such as prosecutor or mayor.

[@ericemmons3040]

@@robertm348 That could very well be true, and maybe I'm out of line for saying this, seeing that I'm not a police or other law enforcement officer, but I wish that police chiefs and other high ranking officials in the affected departments would tell those lawyers in the guise of prosecutors, mayors, etc., that they are not going to demean their departments by becoming a revenue raising arm of their respective towns or cities. Yes, it takes lots of guts for said chiefs and officers to say so, and they may get dismissed for saying so, but someone has to stand up to power and money hungry municipal officials.

[@robertm348]

@@ericemmons3040 I agree with you, but I'm certain that would be analogous to writing your own obituary, careerwise. Most police officers need their jobs, and the repercussions might extend far beyond just your current position.

[@frankfacts6207]

Sounds like organized crime activity because it was organised crime activity.

[@julianbrelsford]

I had a family member living in Switzerland who showed me a castle or two while I was there. Explained that if you were traveling through that spot, the guys based out of that castle would stop you and ask for payment for passing through. it was an area known for trade, i think; a short distance from Italy and France. Now I think laws in those days tended to be a little bit loosey goosey in that, what you could get away with would determine the rules. Take over the local castle by force and YOU were the one who could impose a fee for passing through. Refuse to pay tribute to the nearest king and he could murder your household and put in place someone who would pay him more money in tribute. I digress. But it all seems a bit reminiscent of the "we started a town that gets 50% of its revenue by issuing tickets to those who drive past our cop"

[@rodshoaf]

Look up New Rome, Ohio.. they had something like 15 cops... almost all from the same family for a community of less than 100 people. They wrote so many tickets that people complained to the State AG, and the State pulled the community charter. At one point the state even destroyed the road to keep people out.. they forced them to detour just to keep the New Rome cops from writing tickets

[@stenyethanmathews945]

@@TheBooban ikr.

[@TheRealScooterGuy]

@@TheBooban -- Sounds like a regulatory rule, not a criminal rule, so no jail time for violating it.

[@kairu_aname]

@@TheRealScooterGuy The difference being who works for government, right? Because that's the only real difference.

[@ecay]

About the same time there was another town called stringtown in Oklahoma. That lost the ability to write tickets for several years, not just on the highway but anywhere in town for several years and they had to give back several miles of highway that they had annexed just so they could write tickets

[@garymackey850]

I'm very familiar with Stringtown...I live in Kiowa just up the road and we had a police department that used to tear up out of state drivers for speeding... they had to slow down on the amount of tickets they could write due to a new state law....

[@ecay]

@@garymackey850 oh yes I forgot about Kiowa every time we had to go through any of those towns we had to slow way down Stringtown is still bad as far as speed traps and things like that last time I went through it they had several speed trap set up throughout the town I grew up in Bixby and Bixby was listed as a speed trap for many years but that Police Department was extremely corrupt

[@tinasan3870]

These small town speed traps know that most people don't have the time or money to fight their tickets so they make a LOT of money......But THE WORST small town is in TURTLE LAKE Wisconsin. The police actually pulled a "RAMBO" on a guy (Travis Heinz) who was sleeping in his car during the day...in a public park......The police chief ordered him to get out of town and never come back.........for sleeping in his car in the daytime ....in a public park....bothering no one.

[@hugoh.9694]

I saw that video too. This chief kept talking to Travis as if though he had caught him sleeping on his front porch. He had nothing but contempt for him.

[@ZXLMaster]

LOOK FOR UPDATE ON THIS. "Let's Exchange id's with Travis Heinz". Even The Civil Rights Lawyer reviewed this one. Look Deeper, you don't have the full story yet.

[@hugoh.9694]

@@ZXLMaster I did see the Civil Rights Lawyer video. I'll search for the update you mentioned. 👍

[@ZXLMaster]

@@hugoh.9694 You will find the update on Travis's channel.

[@jhoughjr1]

They don’t have the time or intelligence to drive the speed limit though either.

[@FourthRoot]

The worst part about these speed trap towns is that in order to contest the ticket you may have to drive hundreds of miles out of your way. There should be a federal law allowing people to contest these tickets virtually in some way.

[@Eugenepanels]

There is. Called the ticket clinic. Got a Ticket in stuart fl while travelling. I live in vermont. Contacted this law firm and the attorney went on my behalf and got the case dismissed.

[@ytcommentor]

You can hire a local-ish lawyer. Most times you don't need to be there. However, their fee can be as much if not more than the ticket for minor infractions. At the point it becomes more about keeping the points off your license.

[@FourthRoot]

@@Eugenepanels I shouldn't havd to hire a lawyer to do that.

[@hugoh.9694]

@@FourthRoot EXACTLY. This suggestion totally defeats the purpose IMO. What is the difference in paying gas, lodging, time away from work OR paying an attorney. The point IS to make it costly/punitive for people to have to deal with this so they just outright pay the fees in stead. All this suggestion does is play RIGHT into their game and tactics. The solution offered should be one that avails itself to ALL... not just the well-rescourced. It should also curb or undermine the game they play in attempting to drum up your out of pocket costs in an attempt to make contesting the citation punitive to the driver. This "ticket clinic" solution does NONE of those things. It should be as simple and straight forward as a Zoom appearance. No fees associated with this process/option. Period. Let's not over complicate it and play into the game they are trying to set up to trip people up or punish them with yet MORE expenses for merely opting to contest the ticket.

[@jacobhall4055]

They should have a law where if a ticket is being contested it can be contested in a local address to the person because everyone have a right to a fair a reasonable trial no matter how small the crime

[@2cartalkers]

And the police wonder why citizens HATE THEIR GUTS!

[@rpetzold]

That’s not looking at whole picture. If you saw a cop on the ground laying next to his guts… I am pretty sure you wouldn’t hate his guts.

[@smithsmith1956]

@@rpetzold I would. By now, all the good cops quit or retired. All that's left are the crooked ones.

[@wlonsdale1]

If cops weren't a good Ole boy club and self governing they'd have a shred of credibility

[@cpcoark]

The solution is really simple. The government (local or state) would not be allowed to keep the money for their operation. All fines would be put into a pool. After the budget process for the following year is completed, there would be a lottery to determine how the fines would be distributed and for what PUBLIC good it would be used for. Parks, unplanned road repair, events, etc. That would remove the incentive to write tickets and no one would know if they would receive any revenue from tickets.

[@MarkkuS]

That pool is called the bottomless gvt budget in most countries.

[@kairu_aname]

It's still an incentive. Just because it moves the money, doesn't mean they should have the money to begin with. You're also assuming the persons charged were guilty beyond any doubt, AND that the standing army is constitutional

[@scottmcintosh2988]

When does safety turn into grifting drivers ??? ABUSE of the system !

[@jhoughjr1]

When do drivers just drive the speed limit?

[@kairu_aname]

@@jhoughjr1 Wow, no understanding of corruption. You realize there's no reason they should have speeding laws, right? They're bullshit. Reason? It's lethal to hit someone at 20 mph, so should we drive 19mph and set that as the limit everywhere?

[@robertm348]

@@kairu_aname No speeding laws required? That's somewhat akin to passing gun control laws and expecting criminals to voluntarily turn in their weapons!

[@kairu_aname]

@@robertm348 A fairly accurate comparison

[@gnagyusa]

Waze is a great mobile app that shows where the speed traps are. We also need a map of places with the most tickets issued, so we can avoid them. Those places don't deserve our tax dollars because that money is used to fund the very traffic cops that harass people like this.

[@platty9237]

A couple of decades ago there was a speed trap website which accepted submissions. It may still be around.

[@tioswift3676]

Love Waze!

[@jerradwilson]

Get a radar detector too. It can pay for itself if it saves you from one or two tickets, not counting the increased insurance rates. Ka band means speed trap ahead, slow down!

[@Bass_attack7755]

@@jerradwilson radar detectors don't work. If your detector goes off they already got you 90% of the time. (Hills can save your butt)

[@barmanvarn]

Born, raised, and I’m in AR. As soon as you said my state I instantly thought of about 10 towns it could be. Menifee was one. It’s less than an hour from me.

[@MIflyer5124]

About 20 years ago I read where a GA state legislator was driving through a tiny town's speed tarp and got a speeding ticket. His research revealed that something like 75% of the income for that town was from speeding ticket fines. As a result, he proposed a law that would limit that source of income to no more than something like 25% of the budget. The law was passed and a year later the town no longer had a police department; its two patrol cars were up for sale.

[@KlodFather]

Thats because its not about safety its about money.

[@MIflyer5124]

@@KlodFather When I lived in the Los Angeles area I saw a news piece about how much money the various municipalities made off of tickets and then I realized that one reason the roads were always so screwed up was that it's financially advantageous for people to be as P.Oed and disgusted as possible, because that leads to frustration and desperation and thus more traffic tickets issued and more money from fines.

[@KlodFather]

@@MIflyer5124 - That is a forked up way of looking at things but it does not surprise me considering bean counters and their evil conclusions in businesses and this is just another grotesque extension of that. Bastards figuring out how to squeeze a few more cents out of the public and further enslave and harass those working and actually producing something of value.

[@3xceIIent]

@@MIflyer5124 I'm sure it has nothing to do with the insane amounts of traffic in LA and how hard it would actually be to close roads to fix them? Don't get me wrong I hate the police corruption as much as anyone, but this seems like a rather unlikely scenario. You don't need a shitty road to make a speed trap.

[@DanEBoyd]

@@KlodFather But that legislator never did anything about it until it affected him personally... But at least he did what he did.

[@CUSTOMWORKS7.3PSD]

I lived in a town like that Mishicot Wi the town hired a officer Ryan Gilbert he then convinced the town to expand the dept to cover 1441 population YUP through grands and funding he in a year got 2 cars self appointed himself Chief hired a Captain and 5 other officers full time part time They started pulling everything over and if there was a citation to be given honest or not that was first and only duty of this department, We actually had a fire at the old museum no mishicot police showed up they had to call the county to come in, After a few months of this I and several other residence showed up at the town meeting with our attorney and started serving law suites (process server on hand) 1 week later we had 1 new officer and 1 car the others where discharged and extra car sold.

[@Gonzo77J]

Yeah I remember in college being stopped with 2 other cars at the same time by Menifee police. If you aren’t a resident of the area or near by cities. It’s an easy speed trap to get caught in. My interaction with the office was very quick. I kid you not, 5 minutes after being stopped I was on my way with a ticket in hand. It’s almost as if the officer had the tickets already written before hand and all that was missing was my name and basic info.

[@sandrajones2262]

They love to do that on the interstates in Connecticut. I got a ticket for thirteen over, when three cars were passing me. I don't know who was going thirteen over but I wasn't even doing the speed limit. I was the one with out of state plates, though.

[@robertm348]

@@sandrajones2262 That's how they get you!

[@scottlemiere2024]

No, warnings department wide? That sounds like a departmental policy to me.

[@edg8535]

I grew up in a small town that was a speed trap back in the 50's. Our scoutmaster was always running for mayor and saying the police department should get all of their funding from tickets. He never did win, wonder why? The voters were the ones that put a stop to the speed trap.

[@jeffreyb.2817]

You mentioned that Damascus AR got in trouble for this a couple of years ago. The Scout camp is just outside Damascus. In our Scout Camp paperwork, we included a warning not to speed even a mile over in Damascus, for the Parents. Every year someone got a ticket anyway. And yes you pronounced Menifee correctly.

[@Grzz51]

I have lived in Arkansas my entire life and you pronounced it correctly. I-40 and US-64 highways both run through Menifee. I wonder which one the tickets were written on. Normally, in Arkansas, city cops aren't allowed to patrol on an interstate highway.

[@RickCarter1776]

Arkansas resident as well. Grew up in a small town called Mt. Ida by Lake Ouachita. I concur and if I had to bet the tickets were written on US 64 as a section runs right through town there. I don't know where the speed changes but I bet it's right at the city limits from 55 mph to 35 lol with the 2 city officers posted 15 feet inside of the 35 zone just lighten up the blue lights as folks fly through town coming from Conway or Morrilton. Interstate is ASP territory throughout the state pretty much across the board as you mentioned in your post. But small towns US hwys get relegated to the local yokels esp in towns with pop below 1000. Mt Ida has US 270 running through it to Hot Springs and lots of folks used to come through during horse racing season. Everybody knew you didn't speed from Feb through May unless you wanted a ticket. I seem to recall that everyone got a piece of the pie, cops, prosecutor and county judge. Not a lot of income from farms, cattle, and small businesses. But that racing money was plentiful every racing season. But that is just my take on it. Lord knows I have had plenty of speeding tickets in my youth.

[@davidh9638]

Like "many fee"

[@Grzz51]

@@davidh9638 Good one.....Actually it's pronounced Min-ah-fee......

[@MrBobsathlon2]

Too many local municipalities use ticketing as revenue.

[@JV-pu8kx]

Have the money go to the state's general fund.

[@securityguardcommand9792]

It doesn't go to the local, goes to the county.

[@Inspectorzinn2]

Too many law enforcement agencies use civil asset forfeiture as revenue. I don't have an issue with laws being enforced (speeding tickets).

[@tedwiley2181]

I live about 40 minutes from Menifee ( you pronounced the name correctly ). A lot of the small towns around here do this. Here is the trap: Speed Limit 55, drops to 45 MPH in about 50 to 75 feet, then drops to 35 MPH within another 50 to 75 feet. So it is difficult to obey the speed limit without some serious braking. I have been stopped several times for this but I always just received a warning.

[@ericvoge6678]

The fed manual for traffic control devices must be followed in posting signs. Its all based on the decrease in speed. If they are not posted correctly any ticket you get can and should be nullified. I have used it many times.

[@lylecoglianese1645]

@@ericvoge6678, there is a manual? Any idea how I could see/get a copy?

[@tedwiley2181]

@@ericvoge6678 Thank you! Like I said, I have never gotten a ticket just a warning. I will check into that if and when I get a ticket for speeding.

[@3xceIIent]

@@lylecoglianese1645 I have been trying to find any federal law which states this, but I haven't been able to do so yet. I did find a random article on a website that says "10 Weird Things You Didn't Know About Speed Traps" and one of them is "The 'Pedal Test' is used to justify whether or not a speed trap is lawful. A driver pulls even with the first speed limit at the posted speed and then they take their foot off of the pedal. The speed trap is considered legal if the car can slow itself down to the speed of the next posted speed limit sign. The driver should not have to apply any brakes before reaching the sign and if it is deemed legal, it is a likely spot for officers to sit." While I haven't been able to back this up with an actual regulation/law it does seem logical. Basically all "reduced speed ahead" signs I have ever encountered if I just let off pedals I slow down in time for the upcoming speed limit decrease. The MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways) says "The Reduced Speed Ahead (R2-5 series) signs should be used to inform road users of a reduced speed zone when engineering judgment indicates the need for advance notice to comply with the speed limit posted ahead." But I am not sure how an "engineering judgment" is enforced or not. And the Federal Highway Administration FAQ has this: "Q: Is an engineering study required for posting speed limits? A: It depends. Maximum statewide speed limits are established by state legislatures according to road class (e.g., Interstate highways) and geographic area (e.g., rural vs. urban areas). The legislated maximum speed limit generally applies to all roads of a particular class throughout the State. This is referred to as a statutory maximum speed limit, which applies "unless otherwise posted" and above which a speed limit cannot be legally posted. For example, the statutory maximum speed limit for rural freeways in a given State might be 65 MPH. No engineering study would be needed to post a 65 MPH speed limit on a rural Interstate highway in that State, and even if an engineering study indicated that 75 MPH might be a more appropriate speed for the conditions, the statutory maximum would prohibit the State from posting any limit higher than 65 MPH. Similarly, statutory maximum limits are often legislated for urban streets within city limits, such as 30 MPH. However, State and local governments typically have the authority to change the limits by establishing speed zones, with posted speed limits lower than the statutory maximum, for highway or street sections where statutory limits do not fit specific road or traffic conditions. An engineering study is required for setting the limit for altered speed zones. The engineering study takes into consideration such factors as operating speeds of free-flowing traffic, crash experience, roadside development, roadway geometry, parking, and pedestrian traffic." So it definitely seems like the law says there needs to be an engineering study to determine the correct speed and whether or not a reduced speed ahead sign is needed, but what law that is I have no clue.

[@lylecoglianese1645]

@@3xceIIent, thanks for your input. I'll keep looking into finding more info, like it's going to matter🤷🏼‍♂️🤪. Have a great evening.

[@edletain385]

In our province, the money goes directly to them as Steve suggests into the general revenue fund. It says right on the ticket "Make cheques payable to the Provincial Treasurer of Alberta" I suspect very few people pay by cheque anymore, more likely they pay with a credit card online. At one time it was accepted that car speedometers were only accurate 'to within 3 miles per hour' with the old mechanical speedometers. Probably why the cop picked that number. A friend who is a retired MN state patrol commander told me "If a cop pulls you over for going five miles over, that's not why he is stopping you"

[@bryanb55]

There is a place in Texas did the same, but the state caught them not paying the state a percentage of fines to general fund.

[@Uryvichk]

Back when I worked in municipal court, I'd get an officer who only ever wrote stop sign and double white line crossing tickets. Never once wrote for speeding. Asked him about that once, and he said "I have a dash cam, I can just point my cruiser right at the sign or line. Somebody either goes past it or they don't. I don't have to mess around with radar or lasers or try to explain why I thought they did something." Most people didn't even fight his tickets, so he was probably on to something. That and, you know, people blasting past stop signs or merging when there's insufficient clearance are actual safety hazards, so he might've actually prevented a few accidents.

[@PhuN_1]

I stop and look both ways. Once in a while, I get a huge vehicle behind me who's in a hurry almost rear ends me, then honks. It's not like they can go very far after the stop sign. There's a traffic light about 300 feet down the road and most of the time, it's red. That area is full of people and kids, I wonder why people are in such a hurry to stop at a red light.

[@jhoughjr1]

Speed is a hazard too.

[@brucelytle1144]

I was going through a speed trap town that I've been aware of since 1965. I always put my cruise control on at 27-28 mph for their 30 mph speed limit. As I was approaching an S curve with a double railroad track in the middle of it, I tapped my brakes to disengage the CC, looked at my speed before I got to RR tracks, 25. There was a farm truck, turning left in front of me, I (turn signal on) changed to the right lane. Sped up to 30 (the speed went to 70 in 100 yds or so), and a cop lit me up. Said I was doing 38. No chance! I, for various reasons did not want to argue, he still called a second car. They did not search my car, yet gave me a ticket for 42 in a 30! It could have been worse! Now, I never go through that town!

[@securityguardcommand9792]

@@DarthVader1977 negative much?

[@brucelytle1144]

@@DarthVader1977 my "Mom" in life was the first female officer in Wichita, in 1963. She taught me a lot about dealing with cops. The side of the road is NEVER the place to argue your position. That is what the Courts are for.

[@securityguardcommand9792]

@@DarthVader1977 are you oksy?

[@seanclark8452]

@@brucelytle1144 Yep, wait for court! And now, dashcams. My dashcam saved me from my last citation for 11 over when I was 1 under...

[@maschwab63]

Probably picked up another vehicle in their radar.

[@jonathanenglish9146]

In 2000 I lost a U joint on my 65 Ford truck right outside Menifee on my way to tech school in Mississippi. A State Trooper contacted a Menifee cop who called a local auto parts store owner who then opened his store after hours so I could get the parts I needed to be on my way. I was impressed with the professionalism and kindness of the Trooper, Local PD, and locals in Menifee, sad to hear things have turned out poorly over the years.

[@dougbotimer8005]

IRA, SSI, child support, courts, the list goes on. And isn't just government, banks too. They know it costs so much more to fight unjust charges, fees, etc. that people will just pay.

[@TheNoodlyAppendage]

Missouri passed a law restricting the revenue from tickets because 1 particular town was doing this, it was so bad it nearly shut down the tourist industry in nearby areas.

[@BobWGABIAB]

Was that Randolph, just outside of Kansas City? That town used to be notorious for this but no longer has a police department.

[@BSE1320]

As a truck driver, anytime you drive up to one of these little towns, you learned to drive 5 under. Because you know they'll be waiting for you.

[@aky115]

Fellow steering wheel holder/ super trucker here, learned that the hard way. Was going 3mph over and got a full blown inspection. Thankfully no violations and I argued with the cop and said the judge is going to throw out any ticket for -3 or +3 so he didn’t write me one. (Use to be in law enforcement also) Couldn’t believe I got pulled over cause my speedometer said I was going 40mph.

[@jeffsanders6127]

I always drove 5 below or the exact speed limit thru small towns

[@dudleydeplorable5307]

BINGO...!

[@Carahan]

It won't matter what speed you drive in those towns. If you have an out-of-state plate they're going to charge you with speeding.

[@tinasan3870]

@@Carahan True.....their are many corrupt small towns. They KNOW most people don't have the time or money to go to court so they pay it.

[@jd5061]

I've been working construction for 30 years. Hate small town cops. This happens all over the country. I've been in towns that use there personal vehicles, and they throw a magnet single light on top of their roof. Also hate when our state passed seat belt laws. Many times I had my seat belt on and they say I didn't. In first 2 years I got 19 no seat belt tickets. Finally they pass a law that they can't give just no seat belt ticket with some other violation first. I moved recently to a small town 2 years ago. There's an old town with a gas station and police station in it. One stop sign on the highway. Got pulled over there for running a stop sign, I told him I didn't and I just moved here about 5 miles down on this highway. He didn't want here it. He said this is a 210 dollar ticket. I said I'm sure I stop I always follow speed limits and traffic signs in towns. But as soon as I get home I'll check my 24 hour dash cam. His eyes shifted and raised. He look at my windshield and rear window. He said hold on a minute. Went to his car waited about 5 minutes. He come back with a verbal warning not to run stop signs. Cops are the reason why I have dash cam. I think ever citizen should have one. It's sad that we do. People wonder why I dislike cops in Oklahoma.

[@moonjude1]

Oh hell yes. I live in Maynard Arkansas and heard about this after we had an officer husband and wife writing way too many tickets. The judge threw out all tickets by them. Keep up the good work.

[@larrysherman5254]

Oh, I remember Phantom 309 very well, it was very popular here as Red was from our state capitol, Charleston, WV.

[@readingfrenzy3818]

I guess you and I are two of the three. Lol.

[@justyntyme114]

No matter how you want to look at it, none of this is about safety of the motoring public, it is only about revenue, with a little corruption as a kicker. Prove me wrong.

[@jhoughjr1]

If people actually could drive the speed limit this wouldn’t be an issue.

[@justyntyme114]

@@jhoughjr1 Sure it would, still be an issue, they already use air fresheners on rear view mirrors, license plate frames, and suspicious vehicle in area as excuses along with many other non-safety or speeding issues to pull people over. It's about revenue and revenue only.

[@MattsRanger]

New Baltimore did the same thing. I was closely watching allowed speeds with signs and a Tom Tom. Well the nav was slow to register but cop sitting right there wasn’t. I hate that town. The courthouse sucks too for getting payment to them. Ridiculous hours and options.

[@tuomasholo]

“Gary, we’re going to have to find a different way to pay for our annual junket in Miami. We can’t write anymore tickets.” “Dave, no one said we can’t ticket homeowners for overgrown lawns or parking a wheel on their lawn. Let’s measure fence heights too!” Bingo!

[@SylviaRustyFae]

Reckless driving tickets exist too

[@tracker001]

Another thing to check is if the city / town is writing tickets on a road that is a county / State road and the city didn't get permission from them to change the speed limit .

[@jeffreyt991]

Louisiana has a similar law now after several small towns were doing the same thing. Before the law there was predictable spot over a hill that the cops sat at so often that spot had dead grass. Since the law changed, green grass. I am still careful in small towns I am not familiar with and set my cruise control to 1MPH below the speed limit just to be safe.

[@briangarrow448]

It’s a good thing nobody told them about asset forfeiture. Just saying…

[@ImprovmanZero]

Probably would have if the cars were nicer

[@mdcraig62]

You misspelled highway robbery

[@shermanhofacker4428]

The city council here was told that hiring a canine officer would pay for itself in asset forfeiture. We now have a part-time canine officer! In a town of less than 500 people.

[@JKlein713]

I wish I had a picture of the ticket I got in Tennessee for following too close(I 65 north of Nashville, everyone was following too close). The ticket was $535. The actual fine for following too close was $5. The other $530 went to various fees and "donations". Just a blatant money grab. A couple of municipalities in Cincinnati that had small parts of 75 running through their jurisdiction had issues about 25 years ago. The state cops didn't want them running radar on the mile of interstate they had.

[@justin522]

I had a similar experience. I thought I slowed down for each of the incremental speed limit reductions going into a small town. (65, 55, 45, 35, 25{when flashing}) When I got pulled over, I just assumed that I must have missed one and been legitimately caught speeding. I didn't argue or question the ticket. I got suspicious when he volunteered out of nowhere, "You can fight it, but you'd have to come back here." But like Steve said, just the gas to go back would be more than the ticket.

[@fyrman9092]

A report compiled in 2019 showed that over a million dollars was collected in speeding ticket fines for Liverpool, NY. Most of the tickets are generated by troopers sitting on the shoulders of I-81. The village has their own ticket crazy writing cops sitting outside a school zone. About 25% went to the local municipality and the rest to the state 😵‍💫

[@williamlommel8146]

Hi Steve I live in new York Long Island Approximately 3 years ago I sold my work van turned in the license plates cancel the insurance took my registration sticker off the band after I sold it. Just like New York State requires I have been receiving parking tickets from New York City due to the individual who purchased my vehicle I have approximately 22 walking tickets the van is registered in New Jersey but they still send me the tickets even though I showed the court the receipts and I have a witness New York City is insane no accountability

[@JTA1961]

Oh they know how & have the ability to count... your money.

[@russellhltn1396]

The "Louis Rossmann" channel has raged against the insanity of NYC. He got an offer he couldn't pass up and moved to Texas.

[@wyflyguy114]

This is exactly what they do in Byron Wyoming. They derived their entire budget from one cop parking along the highway under a big shade tree nailing everyone coming through town.

[@JTA1961]

Traveling painting Contractor I met years ago relayed that he'd go at least 5mph UNDER for just these reasons

[@paulkopp3634]

Wonder how much the local cops judges and town officials pay themselves ?

[@muhdiversity7409]

Pretty sure they have very tasty retirement packages

[@mirage3k]

Got a $300 speeding ticket in 2003 for going 36mph in a 35mph zone in a small Utah town. The high cost was due to it being in both a construction zone and a school zone (off hours for both).

[@MichaelJones-uw8gi]

If more than 50% of general fund income is based on tickets, it's taxation without representation. Louisiana has that law.

[@jayjohnson7827]

No it is not! If you don't speed then you don't pay.

[@KlodFather]

@@jayjohnson7827 - I speed with a legal radar jammer... and you are not smart enough to understand how to do it LOL... TFB... There are plenty of people who know how to play the game better than you boot-licker.

[@KlodFather]

It is indeed taxation and even piracy. There are several police departments here who are out of business now because they abused their privilege to enforce the law and turned it into a way to fund the town. That is the point the municipality turns into a criminal enterprise. There is a reason there is no more mafia. They all work in government and the courthouse.

[@jayjohnson7827]

@@KlodFather So innocent people were given speeding tickets?

[@tonytango6676]

In Canada all such speeding ticket revenue goes to the province. So there is no revenue incentive for municipalities.

[@JesseJM85]

Citations at all shouldn't even be counted as revenue to begin with.

[@sandrajones2262]

If anyone in Massachusetts is interested, a State Trooper told me the small towns aren't allowed to be on the State highway giving out tickets. They did it anyway.

[@TerryLawrence001]

Boss Hogg always blames Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane

[@kght222]

most speedometers aren't even accurate enough for 3 miles a hour discrepancy, let alone the accuracy of a radar or lidar gun.

[@KlodFather]

Radar guns are not as accurate as they proport. I used to repair and calibrate them :P and Know a great deal about how they work. Your speed on your dash cam is FAR more accurate than the gun because it derives your speed from the GPS which is directly tracable to the NIST and you have video proof of the stop. DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOUR DASHCAM on a traffic stop or other interaction. That should be brought into it later or at court. There are incidents of peoples best evidence being confiscated and later told there was nothing on the memory card. Yea right.

[@sharkysmachine9248]

Armoured vehicles and High salaries aren't cheap!!

[@inmate666]

They will still write the same amount or more tickets. Instead of a speeding ticket you will get careless or wreckless driving or similar ones. It'll be more money and more points on your record. They will make even more money and get raises and promotions for their hard work.

[@mgmustang0510]

Everyone have a safe weekend,watch out for those speed traps 🚓🚓🚓

[@davidjohnson9240]

Your pronunciation of Menifee is correct. I live in Arkansas and I remember that Damascus also got in trouble for the same thing.

[@bayoumanbryan]

I knew a man that had his family in his pickup truck and drove thru Damascus on the way to vacation in north arkansas/south missouri their "deputy dog" nailed him and took most of the vacation money for his little ticket racket. The family had to abort their vacation and not go forward because of no money was left. That was a crying shame.

[@sharkysmachine9248]

State needs to also do a Forensic audit of money spent by Department

[@CommanderStarblaster]

I researched Menitee Police Dept. They have 30 staff. Therefore one in ten people in Menitee works in the police. That's not a Police Department, that's a profit making business using fraud as it's product.

[@Andi_Doci]

I remember when I was in my late teens, I had just gotten my license and I got a ticket for nothing by these type of practices. I payed attention what the cops would do and where/when. If they had not met their quota for tickets they would all gather up, one cop would radar or laser drivers and another would signal cops lined up to chase down cars. So they would clock one driver, it did not matter if they were accurate, then communicate it to another who was standing 300 or so feet down the street. He would in turn then signal first in line. They would error many times and still ticket the drivers. I got pissed about it once and drove down the street they were gunning for drivers. I made sure I was alone and not driving with a bunch of drivers, I stayed in lane the whole time, doing just under the speed limit. As I passed them by I gave them the middle finger! One known dirt-bag, I think he was Irish and he would rarely shower or wash his clothes and he was a red head, he comes after me and stops me. He ticketed me for giving them the middle finger and for having items on my center rear view mirror. The only item I had hanging there was a school parking tag that hangs behind the rear view mirror, it only stuck down behind the rear view mirror about 1.5 inch. None-the-less, the Judge did not believe me even thought I was holding it and pointing to it while in court. The other ticket was just a fake charge that it could not be enforced, I called to figure out what was happening with it and never got a court date. So why in the world would anyone trust the justice system??

[@Bretware904]

Last time you told us that story it was one mile per hour🤣Can't decide if its more believable this time or not

[@bdp-racing]

I got a ticket for going 72 in a 70. Went to court and got threatened with 30 days in jail and fined $270. Arkansas has a lot of out of control police.

[@coldnnh6983]

Florida had one I believe on 301 heading north of Tampa and warned my young niece heading back north to nh to slow down for that stretch… ah youth … instant ticket, love all the info n stories

[@kevinbrooks6147]

There should be a complete disconnect between law enforcement and money collection.

[@SuperchargedSupercharged]

That is why M.P.'s do not wright many tickets. Pluss most of us did not want to anyway.

[@DJVIIIMan]

Too many departments would cease to exist.

[@sittingindetroit9204]

I believe in some places there is. They don't seem to write as many tickets for some reason.......

[@mikelarry2602]

@@DJVIIIMan The govt is a bloated crap hole.

[@SuperchargedSupercharged]

@@DarthVader1977 Sorry have TBI

[@Overonator]

This is what we call "perverse incentives."

[@rebelwolves]

I lived in Arkansas when Damascus got busted for violation of speed trap laws. I lived not far from Damascus and it was known to all the locals that they would write tickets for even 1mph over. Couple fun facts. In Arkansas, officers cannot write more than a certain percentage of their tickets for less than 10mph over. (Speedtrap law) Damascus, Arkansas was the site of the 1980 Nuclear Missile Crisis. (Titan nuclear missile caught fire in its silo)

[@maschwab63]

Yep. Somebody dropped a wrench, punctured the propellant tank, then threw a switch in an explosive atmosphere. BOOM, but not nuclear boom.

[@williamlulay7982]

I agree with you, that it incentives a locality to write tickets when they're counting on that income to support themselves. Same problem with a local court system, that lives off the fines and income it generates. Seems like a conflict of interest.

[@MrMattDat]

Love your videos Steve and I relate to this video all too much. I grew up in Smithfield RI and the town has been at odds with the state for decades regarding the speed limit of Route 44 through town. This is a state highway and the town would regularly put lower speed signs up and ticket away.

[@spyderlover2054]

Red Sovine fan here. Quite a surprise to here his name on this channel. Thank you for the laugh.

[@Nickle314]

I know of one person who has bought his own radar gun, with the sole aim of going out to shoot the police speeding

[@3xceIIent]

I work with a retired police officer and has told me more than once how it annoyed him other officers would routinely break traffic laws while driving in a squad car. He said he asked one of them and they said "It is impossible to commit a moving violation in a squad car". I think that's the attitude of many police officers.

[@Nickle314]

@@3xceIIent More accurately its difficult to prove and even more difficult to get the police to act.

[@uptownsquirrel1846]

A modern version of this story would entail a hidden radar mechanism, a car registration plate camera, electronic ticket mailer, and a “leave a message” phone recording. In 2014, I got 4 tickets on Christmas Day in a town in rural LA.

[@johnbrobston1334]

Trouble with that one is that you can have the device seized and determine if it was correctly set. You can't prove a cop is lying through his teeth unless you have planned very carefully.

[@alexlail7481]

There is a small town near my house that regularly issues tickets for 2-3 mph over ... it is bisected by a river which is also the county line... the DA for my county has repeatedly pointed out that they are over doing it to the point if anyone contests the ticket he'll reduce it as much as possible or dismiss it if he can. However the bulk of the town is in the next county and their DA goes for every dollar he can get ... so anyone who gets a ticket is initially asked which county when they got a ticket in when it's from that specific town.

[@cashstore1]

Almost every speedometer is off. I check all of mine with my GPS. Some are worse that others. I have eleven vehicles and none are spot on accurate. Some are under and some are way over. The way over ones are the ones that get you a ticket.

[@christosdeschaine9444]

"The money that comes from tickets should go to the state general fund" and distributed from there. Seriously Steve? That's meet the new boss, same as the old boss. The biggest problem with money from tickets is there's no good way to use it where the revenue stream isn't corrupted by some level of the government.

[@SylviaRustyFae]

All revenue generated from tickets shud go into the public defense fund honestly.

[@unitrader403]

point is that it disconnects who collects the money from who gets it, thereby removing an incentive to write bogus tickets.

[@OnlyKaerius]

@@SylviaRustyFae Or something like a crime victims fund/crime victims compensation program. Helps victims get compensation up front, and makes it the state's job to collect if possible.

[@SylviaRustyFae]

@@DarthVader1977 shud* I type as i do not cuz of a typo but bcuz im dyspraxic and if i try to type words like wud and shud and so many more proper; i make many many typos just tryin to write the one word over and over and fix the typo. If ya understood me, ya dont need to correct me. If ya didnt understand me, you can always ask what a word i used meant. But im not gonna spell it proper for all yall when it costs me tons more effort and time to write such rite.

[@tedkaczynskiamericanhero3916]

@@SylviaRustyFae *prahpur

[@donna626]

I read about this in New Zealand news.

[@dereksmith1803]

I was a LEO in a small town for a couple years. We were the first riverboat casino the area and needless to say, the town had more money than it knew what to do with. The city council actually instructed the chief that they preferred us to give written warnings rather than tickets because we didn't need the revenue.

[@samsprague2846]

In Long Island NY, there are no small town police. They have Nassau county police and Suffolk county police. This consolidation is something I believe can help reduce local B.S. and save money. The criminal court system is of course also consolidated. Long Island has many problems, small town cops is not one of them.

[@stevenh4164]

State should make city return all collected ticket money to rightful owners with interest.

[@wolfsquared]

As a truck driver I can attest that 90% or more drivers speed. Doesn't matter if it's a construction zone or a school zone. They speed everywhere. Drive the speed limit and see how many cars pass you

[@davep6977]

I had a similar thing that happened to me. I got stopped back in the '70's for like 5 or so over. I was equally as upset. I've been amateur radio radio operator before then. I asked the officer what were the FCC issued call letters for the radar gun (since it is a transmitter) and could I see him do a tuning fork calibration? He basically told me the same thing. I was so upset I stopped a local truck stop for coffee to calm down before I continued driving. As i was sitting there, here comes the officer who gave the ticket. I'm thing-now what? He said, do you have that ticket, I did. He took it from me, tore it up and said "Have a nice, there'll be no further mention of this" True story. I think he knew or was told that if I made a stink over the issue there could have been a lot of tickets that would have be voided

[@russellhltn1396]

According to the FCC, as long as the department has a license for their radio system, they don't need to get one for the radar guns. But asking for calibration records is a standard procedure for defense attorneys.

[@jansugalski4856]

Same thing happened in Waldo, Florida several years ago and were forced to stop.

[@JTA1961]

Where's Waldo...??

[@MyWifeSally0202]

They’re gonna come back in 366 days with a vengeance

[@brianbickle7395]

Guess all the cost of local permits and fees will go up to compensate.

[@shermanhofacker4428]

Our little town got around the law by writing the tickets for "too fast for condions" instead of speeding tickets. The biggest advantage, other than not running afoul of the speeding ticket restrictions, is the money from speeding tickets is shared, in arkansas, while too fast for conditions fines are kept by the municipality.

[@PrayingPanda]

You should audit that city and their books. Sounds like a full croc of bs.

[@michaelsommers2356]

I'm sure that all ticket money is shared: the mayor gets his cut, the police chief gets his, ...

[@jamessimms415]

Sounds like Brookside, AL that Steve did a number of videos on several months ago. When I would go to National Guard Drill, I had to pass through a few small towns. I made sure I was 5 mph under the posted limit. Having said that,I did get pulled over later on coming from another unit. My Desert Shield/Desert Storm tag & me being in BDU Uniform got me out of it

[@osmanvincent1975]

My only speeding ticket was on a state road in Oregon 50 years ago. The town was a filling station, a country store & a couple houses. We were not in any hurry whatever. If there was a speed sign, it was probably hidden in bushes. I had a reason to ask a question. Four of five officials listed on the towns letter head had the same unusual last name.

[@iainballas]

Brothers, Oregon? Tiny town over in eastern oregon, population like 12.

[@sgtjimbo4505]

TRY HARDER. 😁

[@LouT1501]

Jordan Valley and Coburg, Oregon were bad speed traps back when

[@captainredneck0683]

I love being Steven with a “V”. Lol! Thanks for doing the story. 😎

[@ronstill3868]

Florida had many towns that where known for speed traps. That went away when the "city courts" where abolished.

[@tedkaczynskiamericanhero3916]

Pennsylvania actually took away radar guns from local police and only let's state police use them because of this. They found out local towns were reducing the speed limits to unreasonable levels to create revenue. Also in Pennsylvania, county sheriff's have zero authority outside of the court house (old information may be out of date and last I heard that was being fought by the sheriff's departments across the state)

[@53KJB]

Steve, Better make that "Red Sovine" reference to #4. I was born in 1953 and grew up with that song in my younger years.

[@BenLeitch]

Ben is next to the W8NEC item

[@privatename5788]

The very definition of policing for profit. Traffic laws need a complete overhaul. It's ridiculous to extort citizens for daring to be in a hurry. Imagine how much less hate there would be for police if they never wrote tickets, and actually investigated crimes?

[@TheRealScooterGuy]

Imagine how driving would be if nobody enforced road rules... (There has to be a balance.)

[@stillraven9415]

Need to rename the town ManyFees

[@knappingtankertanker969]

Nolanville, TX Same thing. A municipality of 2 businesses and 5 houses at the bottom of a steep hill on Hwy 190, the major artery leading to Ft Hood. They had at least 5 police crusiers. They would sit at the bottom of the hill and catch cars, mostly soldiers on their way to their new assignment at Hood, coasting down the hill. That is, until the state of Texas got involved and put a stop to it. I think the state took all but one car away. I always drove 5 miles under the speed limit before I hit that hill and rode my brakes all the way down.

[@primoroy]

I still think Kendleton Texas going bankrupt because they didn't "share" with the state is poetic justice (police chief went to prison)! 😜

[@mayoluck]

Same in Oakridge Tx, state troopers use to patrol and watch the cop bc he park in the crossover with his lights off to try and catch speeders, after ppl called in on the cop to DPS they had enough of it. He lost his job and the state raised the speed limit as well moved them closer into the town shorting their speed trap. I was one of them bc i almost clipped his car with my bike bc he was hanging out in the left lane. It was black decals on black car and the crossover was in a low spot so your lights shined over the car till it was to late. The police chief was fired bc her son was out writing tickets and wasn't even an active cop. The judge was punished for holding two positions and receiving pay for both (judge/clerk). The law states you only receive pay for the higher paying job. City was punished bc they didnt pay their share into the state for a few years and exceeded the limit you can have revenue from tickets. They also left tickets in the system so when you renew your license the state will deny it and had you pay it again, basically double dipping. They tried it with me but Austin called them up and made them explain how a ticket they had on record that i payed already was still showing up years later in their system. Austin told me that they said that they went from a paper system to computer system and thats how it was missed. Austin basically told me thats a load of shite.

[@primoroy]

@@mayoluck Missing Ticket Books in numerical sequence was the smoking gun in Kendleton. The state assumed that those tickets (and fines) were valid and unreported!

[@makylemur7019]

Back in the early 50s Burlington Vermont had a traffic light obscured by trees which made the signal invisible. The fine was $1.00.