For your safety

[GunRelated]

This Louisiana Town Runs Largely on Traffic Fines. If You Fight Your Ticket, the Mayor Is Your Judge.

Fenton, population 226, brings in over $1 million per year through its mayor’s court, an unusual justice system in which the mayor can serve as judge even though he’s responsible for town finances.

www.propublica.org

 

[Bigchillin83]

Haaaa reminds me of French settlement and port Vincent lol

Where the chief of police walks in, changed his hat to judge hat and sits at the bench

 

[JBP55]

THAT IS CRAZY!

 

[Jstudz220]

Wow…. That’s crazy

 

[charlie12]

Haaaa reminds me of French settlement and port Vincent lol

Where the chief of police walks in, changed his hat to judge hat and sits at the bench

I used to be in French Settlement and Port Vincent every night. Most of the time no one was working. I found it funny that at the end of the year meeting Harry was giving the year's report on FSPD traffic report he say they had NO alcohol related wrecks. LOL

 

[SwampyDog]

Haaaa reminds me of French settlement and port Vincent lol

Where the chief of police walks in, changed his hat to judge hat and sits at the bench

Killian is just as bad whenever they can staff a department

 

[Kraut]

Killian is just as bad whenever they can staff a department

Killian got me many years ago, and I'm still salty. I didn't fight it, but had to mail the payment to a P.O. box in Denham Springs. How crazy is that, they don't even get their own mail there, they have to go to Denham Springs for it.

That Zurik video said their officers average 16 tickets a day. If one of my guys was writing that heavy, we'd be having a counseling session on the back lot.

 

[MOTOR51]

Killian got me many years ago, and I'm still salty. I didn't fight it, but had to mail the payment to a P.O. box in Denham Springs. How crazy is that, they don't even get their own mail there, they have to go to Denham Springs for it.

That Zurik video said their officers average 16 tickets a day. If one of my guys was writing that heavy, we'd be having a counseling session on the back lot.

I use to write 25-30 every day

 

[Bigchillin83]

I use to write 25-30 every day

that’s why I used to not like you… I can kinda tolerate you a little now

 

[MOTOR51]

that’s why I used to not like you… I can kinda tolerate you a little now

 

[thperez1972]

I wonder how many of those tickets were for people driving the speed limit.

 

[charlie12]

You would think drivers now never heard of Title 32 it's crazy out there.

 

[GunRelated]

I wonder how many of those tickets were for people driving the speed limit.

Extortion is fine, as long as it's legally executed.

 

[Emperor]

This is the kind of crap that makes me hate this state. He sounds like and uneducated buffoon on top of everything.

What is crazy is if there is a Supreme Court ruling on the books deeming this Unconstitutional and no defendant is telling these clowns to suck it! This sounds ripe for a serious lawsuit.

 

[thperez1972]

Extortion is fine, as long as it's legally executed.

If you are driving 65 in a 55 and you get a ticket for driving 65 in a 55 and the fine is reasonable compared to other areas, is that extortion?

I think a baseline is needed to better manage expectations. I say that the "norm" for a traffic stop is a ticket. If during the stop the officer believes the stop itself is enough to deter the behavior, a warning may be justified. But an officer shouldn't pull everyone over expecting to always give a warning. If there's an offense someone feels should only result in a warning, then the offense isn't serious enough to be on the books and work should be done to repeal it.

The report stated the officer wrote an average of 16 tickets per day. That's 5840 tickets a year. The revenue from fines and forfeitures for the year in the listed report was $1,366,325. That comes out to be about $233.96 per ticket if you assume other fines and any forfeitures bring in $0. Is $234 per ticket reasonable? The Jefferson Davis Parish Website lists the fines and fees for the parish. Fenton is in that parish but I don't know if they use those amounts. The site lists the fine for driving 10 mph over the limit as $236.75. Another article indicated someone was given a $210 fine for 11 over in Fenton.

Now I don't believe any location should base their budget on uncertain income. If nobody sped and no tickets were written, how would the town meet its budget? It would need to find something else to write tickets for. I also don't know how much the speed limit fluctuated around the town and how much warning drivers get for speed zones. I just hesitate to instantly condemn numbers that are based on people's behavior when the numbers for that behavior isn't mentioned.

 

[Fugum]

Man, I love watching Lee Zurik make these fools squirm

 

[GunRelated]

If you are driving 65 in a 55 and you get a ticket for driving 65 in a 55 and the fine is reasonable compared to other areas, is that extortion?

I think a baseline is needed to better manage expectations. I say that the "norm" for a traffic stop is a ticket. If during the stop the officer believes the stop itself is enough to deter the behavior, a warning may be justified. But an officer shouldn't pull everyone over expecting to always give a warning. If there's an offense someone feels should only result in a warning, then the offense isn't serious enough to be on the books and work should be done to repeal it.

The report stated the officer wrote an average of 16 tickets per day. That's 5840 tickets a year. The revenue from fines and forfeitures for the year in the listed report was $1,366,325. That comes out to be about $233.96 per ticket if you assume other fines and any forfeitures bring in $0. Is $234 per ticket reasonable? The Jefferson Davis Parish Website lists the fines and fees for the parish. Fenton is in that parish but I don't know if they use those amounts. The site lists the fine for driving 10 mph over the limit as $236.75. Another article indicated someone was given a $210 fine for 11 over in Fenton.

Now I don't believe any location should base their budget on uncertain income. If nobody sped and no tickets were written, how would the town meet its budget? It would need to find something else to write tickets for. I also don't know how much the speed limit fluctuated around the town and how much warning drivers get for speed zones. I just hesitate to instantly condemn numbers that are based on people's behavior when the numbers for that behavior isn't mentioned.

I was just yanking your chain. We've been over this topic before. My view is that all traffic fines are extortion in their current form. Maybe if the money went to a proven non profit charity, I would feel a little better about it but, at the end of the day, fines should not exist, period. Find another form of punishment that is equally felt across all financial statuses and does not directly benefit the entity handing them out.

 

[thperez1972]

I was just yanking your chain. We've been over this topic before. My view is that all traffic fines are extortion in their current form. Maybe if the money went to a proven non profit charity, I would feel a little better about it but, at the end of the day, fines should not exist, period. Find another form of punishment that is equally felt across all financial statuses and does not directly benefit the entity handing them out.

Community service at a $15/hr rate. $150 fine = 10 hours of community service.
If you really want to get someone's attention, any community service hours over a certain number (like over 10 or 12) must be on a litter detail.

 

[GunRelated]

Community service at a $15/hr rate. $150 fine = 10 hours of community service.
If you really want to get someone's attention, any community service hours over a certain number (like over 10 or 12) must be on a litter detail.

I'd take the $ reference out completely. Make it a point system and you may be on to something.

 

[MOTOR51]

I was just yanking your chain. We've been over this topic before. My view is that all traffic fines are extortion in their current form. Maybe if the money went to a proven non profit charity, I would feel a little better about it but, at the end of the day, fines should not exist, period. Find another form of punishment that is equally felt across all financial statuses and does not directly benefit the entity handing them out.

Ironically our fines went towards funding the public defenders office.