Anti-speed trap legislation
R. Neal links to a couple of bills aimed at curbing abuse of speed traps:
HB3614 would declare that any municipality deriving 20% or more of its revenues from speeding tickets is abusing its police powers and would authorize the district attorney general and the TBI to investigate them. It would also apply to municipalities who issue more than 50% of their speeding tickets for exceeding the speed limit by 10 MPH or less.
Sounds like a start. Somebody tell Mayor Danny Crosby.
March 14th, 2006 at 12:45 am
You could do what Pennsylvania does: only the state police are allowed to use radar, which makes it hard for localities to set up speed traps, especially on highways. Additionally, the state doesn’t get to keep the fines for speeding tickets, but has to hand them over to the local government where the infraction occured.
So the people who the ability to give speeding tickets have little incentive to, and the people who have the incentive to give speeding tickets have little ability to.
As a result, it’s pretty hard to get a speeding ticket unless you’re doing something really flagrant.
March 14th, 2006 at 10:37 am
In Tyler, Texas, a city of 100,000, the police have recently DOUBLED the number of tickets they write. Pardon my scepticism, but I doubt its because folks are driving twice as recklessly. Last year the Municipal court made 3 million dollars.
They’ll make their money, but it’s at the expense of being seen as “protecting and serving.”
The police: just another bureaucratic revenue enhancement point.