Interesting traffic citation racket

AAA used to mark that one on their Trip-Tick's Ed. There was another just north of Atlanta.

You don't have to go back that far. Just a couple years ago my little home town passed an ordinance for city speeding tickets. A lady police chief decided to make it her goal in life to write the maximum possible number of ticket. Our town got notice in the newspapers and the largest radio station in the state for the best place to get a ticket.

That's only part of it. A deputy stopped a grandma type for speeding on the way home from the Lutheran church charity pot luck dinner. No doubt the first time she had ever been stopped. So, she offer the deputy (not from around here) some pot luck leftovers. The deputy started to charge her with bribery before cooler heads prevailed.

Karl

Sure was glad I had cash that day. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. If that was the courthouse, I could imagine how big the jail was. Probably the size of a phone booth, and with my luck, I'd be locked with three drunk Mexicans for the weekend.

Steve

He and Jimmy Hoffa are playing gin somewhere as we speak.......................

Not a racket at all. this option was never available before. You broke the law by speeding. OK, so, you have a fine to pay. Now, If money is no object, you have the option of keeping it off your record by ponying up. You don't have to, and there's no penalty for NOT doing it, except when your insurance renews. The option is a good one. It's not a shakedown scheme. However, If you got a ticket for some ridiculous thing, a violation you did not commit, the local Fuzz dreaming up "violations" for the sake of writing tickets, then the whole thing is a scam. JR Dweller in the cellar

Ignoramus26236 wrote:

When I was in SC, (ca. 1969), the cops were authorized to collect your "fine" on the spot.

Cheers! Rich

Just keep a $100.00 bill between your license and registration. Hand all three to the cop simultaneously, and let him find the $100. If he says, "What's this, some kind of bribe?" you say, "What, are you kidding? A hundred bucks? Here - here's a thousand."

(of course, that would depend on the severity of the charge. ;-) )

Cheers! Rich

Well, first of all, it is in my pocket, so I would need to be searched for the money to be found.

I did read an outstanding article a few months ago, about police in Texas essentially robbing black drivers if they found cash on them. I believe that it was in New York Times. The town that was doing this is now being sued. I hope that the lawyers and plaintiffs take as much as possible.

All in all, I consider it to be unlikely to happen to myself, and just accept the small risk. The upside is that I have cash on hand should opportunities arise. The return on that $1,000 is very decent.

About 1980, I was going west with a buddy across Montana, I was in the passenger seat. No visible traffic. I see a car approaching ahead and tell Ray to slow down, he was doing 85-90 mph. The patrol car was slowing as we passed and it crossed the median, turned on the lights and pulled us over.

The LEO explained about the speed limit being 55 mph and said he was going to write us a ticket and collect an appearance bond to make sure we were in Deer Lodge to face justice in 3 weeks. If we didn't show, the bond would be used as fine.

$5 bond...

Seems the double nickel wasn't popular in spread out Montana, not even with the cops.

David

I always keep a C note stashed in my wallet, and it has helped me out more than once. Not in those situations, but the brainfart moments when I leave my money at home. I haven't carried ALL my money in my billfold since I was sixteen and lost my wallet. Now, my cash is in my left front pocket. I may lose my wallet, but I'm going to have at least SOME money to get home.

Steve

"Rich Grise" wrote

In Mexico, you have three police forces. One are the federales who come when a serious crime has been committed. One is the hotel police who RULE the private property of the hotels. The third are the trafficantes, and you WILL pay them your traffic fine on the spot. I am not sure how that flows upstream, but in Mexico, you pay when you get stopped. Not sure either if that goes for Mexican citizens.

Steve

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:23:40 -0500, the infamous Ignoramus26236 scrawled the following:

And the next time you get stopped and frisked, they'll send you to jail for either pimping or drug dealing. "Law-abiding citizens just don't have that kind of money on them." they say.

-- The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage. --Mark Russell

In the Twin Cities we had A Drug Crimes Task Force that was recently shut down when some of its members were found shaking down suspected "drug" dealers. The state auditors found 18 grand unaccounted for,seized cars that disappeared and big screen TV's that grew legs and appeared in cops rec rooms. This was A multi-agency task force and 5 or 6 are (or have recently retired) from the department I work for. Last year we had A cop named Rehak popped for stealing around 7 grand when he failed a FBI integrity test. He's doing time in A federal can in So. Carolina. Looks like he might have company if any of those cars show up out of state!

H.R.

Yup. I was there in mid 70's. Same thing. Smelled.

Wes

Me too. this practice was not uncommon after they passed drug proceeds forfeiture laws giving LEO carte blanche to confiscate any cash, vehicles, real estate or other property if drugs were present. It took several years before restrictions were passed to tone this down, but it's still abused.

I grew up in Minnesota. About '70 or so, they got about two inches of snow in SC. (I was based at Shaw AFB, near Sumter, which even the residents call "Scumter.")

The only cars that weren't in the ditch were from out of state. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

How good are you at spoken English? What color is your hair? Do you wear a beard?

Just curious - you can't be too careful, with all that "terrorist" profiling going on. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

This is the first time I've heard that Montana even _had_ speed limits.

Cheers! Rich