Deceptive traffic citations

[senecal_tony]

First, let me introduce myself; I am a 69 year old man that has been driving since I was 16 years old and have never received any driving citation or ticket except in Louisiana, specifically the Lasalle Parish. For the past 15 + years we have owned and driven motor homes. Currently, my wife and I are retired and travel extensively. We do most of our travel in a 34 foot motor home pulling a jeep (4 wheels down). Something to keep in mind while reading our story; I follow the traffic laws and do not go beyond speed limits. When you are an experienced driver of an RV and know that length and weight of specifically a motor home while pulling a vehicle have an impact on stopping distance; most of the motor home community knows to go below the posted speed limit.

On September 21, 2019 we were traveling through Lasalle Parish, US 165, back to our home in DeRidder Louisiana. Approaching the city of Tullos, we noticed several speed limit changes (65 mph, 55 mph to 45 mph) and we adhered to each by reducing our speed to below the posted limit each time. It should be noted that the notice of the speed limit reduction and the posted speed limit was short in distance in each instance.

As we approached a so called “construction zone” in the city limits of Tullos I noticed several cones and the sign alerting me to reduce speed ahead from 55 mph to 45 mph and immediately began slowing down. Motor Home drivers know that when you hit the brake and have the “Jake Break” on, the vehicle immediately starts to slow by virtue of the engine compression and this was done by me as soon as I seen the notice to reduce speed. One other important item; Two other vehicles went directly in front of me entering into the reduced speed area going much faster than we were.

The police officer writing the citation for 55 mph in a 45 mph zone stated on the ticket that the speed was determined by radar. I was not going 55 mph. The only explanation I could have is the radar is inaccurate or the the radar was shot or initiated just into the notice to reduce speed. Also, why were the two vehicles in front of me ignored?

The purpose of the letter is to warn fellow drivers that the city of Tullos and or Parish of Lasalle in Louisiana has a significant campaign going on to fund city budgets via traffic tickets (commonly know as speed traps).There are many reasons for my getting to this conclusion:

Motor Home drivers are some of the safest drivers on the road (we understand our restrictions to maintain safety).
Who gives a ticket for 55 mph and a 45 mph zone? Is there any room for an equipment malfunction by needing to be recalibrated?
Why were two other vehicles allowed to go through the area faster than myself? I can’t be sure but maybe they were locals and not an out of town tag.
Our home location is 112 miles from the city of Tullos. We could fight this in court with the proverbial “he said she said argument”; may or may not work with the judge. But, why would we travel back for court with an uncertain ending? Could this be part of isolating out of town people for citations know they would more than likely just pay.
I made call to the Tullos mayor’s office on September 24, 2019 to discuss my dissatisfaction with the citation and how the facts and process materialized. The mayor was unavailable but I did speak to a representative in the office. After explaining my displeasure with the citation and requesting the mayor call me back, I was told that the mayor would not call back and that any further objections to the ticket would only be addressed in court. In addition, I have attempted to locate a website or email for the Tullos LA Mayor’s office but could not find anything. That brings me back to the “out of town people receiving citations argument”.
The charge for this citation is $230 (really). They do offer the opportunity to pay the ticket online for an extra $11 and change. There is also an added charge for paying over the phone.

My plan moving forward is to share this experience with the many RV clubs and travel organizations we are members of. I hope that my fellow travelers take notice of the unreasonable citation issuing practices and stay clear of Lasalle parish. Below is what I’ll be sharing so there is no confusion.

Fellow travelers: Stay away from this, in my humble opinion, deceitfully run city of Tullos and or Lasalle parish. The local officials obviously can’t think through ligament and reasonable ways to fund and run the city effectively and turn to trickery or worst by trickery and penalizing law abiding out of town people.

Last but certainly not least; I have paid the $241.50 to the city of Tullos, against my better judgement.

Debton

[Bert_Ackerman]

LOL, The mother of all speed traps.

I have not been through Summersville WV for around 10 years and these articles are from 2005, so I am not sure if it still exists, but they wrote the user manual on speed traps. I received a ticket there @ 2000 for 2 mph over (in 2nd article they claimed they only cited people for 11 mph over and issued as many warnings as citations, that was total BS), and while being written up 2 other people were also being written up on the other side of the highway. 3 local yokels from a town of 3000 people on duty at 4:00 AM writing tickets.



Summersville WV

More Summersville WV.

[philh]

My tiny town has a "well marked" speed trap. It's amazing the number of local residents complaining about the speed trap. Speed goes from 45-40 and then sign advising of lower speed ahead, and then the sign going from 40-30, well in advance of the actual speed limit reduction. Police sit on the other side of the railroad tracks right next to the park and write tickets for as long as they feel like it.

[Grit_dog]

jplante4 wrote:
I'm getting a kick out of the posts recommending a court fight. If the police are crooked enough to write bogus tickets, what makes you think their brother-in-law the judge will be any less crooked?

They are the other people who have not been the scoundrels that us traffic law breakers are. Or they would know better.
Local speed trap town (hint, it’s the town in my “location”, Don’t speed in Black Diamond, outwardly tells offenders. Show up to court and get it reduced to a local infraction.
Then the city doesn’t have to share the revenue with the State. They just line up all the speeders every day in court and rubber stamp the speeding tickets down to a local inanttentive driving infraction with no points and you pay your “city street toll” and move on with life.
Can’t believe, the cop actually let my wife off, no ticket, when she got pulled over. Probably because she is hot and driving a cool car....
I wasn’t as lucky. Ugly and pickup truck.....

[bgum]

I used to work with a former Maryland state trooper. He said that one day in court all of his tickets were dismissed for failure to have a speed limit sign posted within X numbers of feet . He went to carrying one in his trunk and propping it against his back bumper.

[Lynnmor]

ford truck guy wrote:


At least those in MD are NO POINTS and NO insurance effecting

That only pertains to the camera traps. MD has those cameras at many of their school zones and use them at odd hours and use confusing signs so it is impossible to know when the lowered speed limit is in effect. The fine is not reported to the state and the money is divided between the camera company and the local jurisdiction, your drivers license is not affected because they want repeat customers.

[2oldman]

I doubt this OP is coming back.

[ford_truck_guy]

Tvov wrote:
Interesting thread to read.

My son got caught in one of the "non-existent" speed traps that don't exist (as some seem to think). I may have posted about this awhile ago - in a Maryland "construction zone" (some people may already be sadly nodding their heads). Turns out that in Maryland, when they are thinking about doing highway work, they can put up "construction ahead" signs in that area months before anything is started, and lower the speed limit by 10-25mph seemingly depending on the mood of whoever decides these things.

Son was using cruise control right around 68mph in a 65mph zone (YES! He was speeding!! 3mph over!!!). Little traffic, and as he said no construction cones, flashing lights, nothing. NO police cars. He got a mailed traffic citation (from a camera) for "speeding in a construction zone". Turns out there was a "construction ahead" sign somewhere that he passed without seeing it, and the speed limit dropped - again, without him realizing it.

I told him to just pay it (it wasn't that much), because in today's world of computerized records you want to make sure it doesn't come back to bite you in the future to have that on your record.

I looked it up on the internet, turns out Maryland is notorious for doing this. Put up construction ahead signs in an area that might have construction sometime in the future, lower the speed limit (with little signage, and nothing like traffic cones or construction trucks / equipment), use cameras to enforce it. Later, when no construction actually is going to be done in that area, take all the signage down and move to another possible future construction area.

But, of course, it isn't a speed trap.

I travel from SE PA to VA every 5-6 weeks and usually stay on 95.. I have received those tickets in the mail as well.. actually my office does, as the truck is leased under the company name. They CANNOT give any type of driving infraction to a said person as they have no idea who actually was driving the vehicle that day... It is just a money making scheme . .

Either take a day off and spend it in their court system HOPING to get it reduces, or pay it and move on...

At least those in MD are NO POINTS and NO insurance effecting

[Tvov]

Interesting thread to read.

My son got caught in one of the "non-existent" speed traps that don't exist (as some seem to think). I may have posted about this awhile ago - in a Maryland "construction zone" (some people may already be sadly nodding their heads). Turns out that in Maryland, when they are thinking about doing highway work, they can put up "construction ahead" signs in that area months before anything is started, and lower the speed limit by 10-25mph seemingly depending on the mood of whoever decides these things.

Son was using cruise control right around 68mph in a 65mph zone (YES! He was speeding!! 3mph over!!!). Little traffic, and as he said no construction cones, flashing lights, nothing. NO police cars. He got a mailed traffic citation (from a camera) for "speeding in a construction zone". Turns out there was a "construction ahead" sign somewhere that he passed without seeing it, and the speed limit dropped - again, without him realizing it.

I told him to just pay it (it wasn't that much), because in today's world of computerized records you want to make sure it doesn't come back to bite you in the future to have that on your record.

I looked it up on the internet, turns out Maryland is notorious for doing this. Put up construction ahead signs in an area that might have construction sometime in the future, lower the speed limit (with little signage, and nothing like traffic cones or construction trucks / equipment), use cameras to enforce it. Later, when no construction actually is going to be done in that area, take all the signage down and move to another possible future construction area.

But, of course, it isn't a speed trap.

[jplante4]

I'm getting a kick out of the posts recommending a court fight. If the police are crooked enough to write bogus tickets, what makes you think their brother-in-law the judge will be any less crooked?

[MetalGator]

2012Coleman wrote:
You and others on this thread must never have visited the north Florida towns of Waldo and Lawtey.

Oh yes, I remember driving through Waldo while going to school in Gainesville back in the 90's. Many of my friends got multiple tickets driving through that town. I used to visit my cousin in Jacksonville while going to school at UF and had to drive through Waldo.

[JRscooby]

hamnit!

[JRscooby]

Planning wrote:


Law enforcement is an executive branch function.

The court is a judicial entity.

The mayor is analogous to the legislative branch.

I think you are in error with this list. Most places, the mayor is the head of the executive branch. But I agree it is unlikely the mayor will step in between you and one of his officers.
But, IMHO, the best penalty for speeding in a construction zone would be the driver blindfolded, and tied to a barrel and stood on the line to protect the workers from traffic...

[2012Coleman]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Well, if I remember right from Drivers Education, some 49 years ago, the vehicle is suppose to be going the posted speed limit when they they are at the sign, not after it, slowing down then. And should not speed back up again until after completely passing the increase-in-speed sign. If you were going faster than the posted speedlimit at the actual sign, then yes... you were speeding. You cannot justify the actions of anyone else but yourself, I can't justify any's actions but my own too. You were the one the officer choose. Grin and bear it.

I find it interesting that when law enforcement actually ENFORCE the law, people get mad. Funny how that works.

And yes, I've had a couple speeding tickets myself, caught by camera in Iowa City, Iowa many years ago. I slow down before the sign. Yea, it pi$$es drivers off behind me, but I really don't care. 2 tickets in my lifetime is 2 tickets too many.

Didn't you erase a years worth of posts and go away for months because people on here treated you like this?

[2012Coleman]

2oldman wrote:

2012Coleman wrote:
The action came after reports from 2014 that Waldo’s police department was writing speeding tickets based on quotas. The Waldo police later disclose they have ticket quotas

A 'quota' would just be a statistical percentage of drivers who are exceeding the limit by a certain amount. If the number of tickets written is significantly below that, then the likelihood is that the police are getting lazy.

It's difficult to believe that each officer is ordered to write X amount of tickets regardless of the speed.

Sorry for your difficulties - here is some information that may enlighten you

From one story: "WALDO - Five members of the Waldo Police Department told the City Council Tuesday night they were under a quota to write traffic tickets, which is a violation of Florida law.
The officers outlined a long line of grievances they had against police department command staff and city administration.
Before a packed room, Officer Brandon Roberts told commissioners they were required by Chief Mike Szabo to write 12 speeding citations per 12-hour shift or face punishment. Roberts explained his claims with the help of an electronic presentation and printed emails as evidence."

A quota is a specific number of something - in this case each officer had a quota of 12 tickets. Revenue from speeding tickets was the main source of money for the town coffers. That's 1 ticket per hour.

Yes - these are the towns on 301 and as stated, the police force was disbanded. I make the drive through here 5 - 6 times a year.

[valhalla360]

Since you presumably have no points (ie: it was your first ticket ever)...just pay and move on.

Even if you fight it, they often still charge you court costs, which ironically are about the same as the price of the ticket. This is in addition to you taking time to travel back to be at the court.

Problem is the Cop not only has the radar output. He also gets the benefit of the doubt in a "he said, she said" situation as the court presumes he doesn't benefit...of course that ignores the fact that he has a quota (even if it's not official) and benefit by not getting in trouble for missing his quota (yes, they will word it to not be a quota but it amounts to the same thing).