Police departments being forced to become revenue-generators
Back in March, Nevada Supreme Court Justice James Hardesty warned state legislators that the NV Supreme Court coffers were bare, due to a drop in revenue from traffic tickets. A decrease in the amount of tickets being issued by law enforcement state-wide had left the courts $700k over budget this year and facing another $700k shortage next year, for a $1.4 million total shortfall. In Nevada and other states, the state supreme court is funded by assessment fees added onto the fines for traffic citations.
Hardesty made sure lawmakers knew he wasn’t fooling around with an ominous threat to take everyone’s ball and go home if they didn’t find some way for taxpayers to pay up:
“If this is not addressed by May 1, the court will not have sufficient cash to operate,” Hardesty said in his testimony to lawmakers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. “I believe the legislature has a constitutional obligation to fund the judicial branch of government. Do you want me to close the judicial branch of government at the state level on May 1?”
As you’ve probably noticed, it’s past May 1st and Nevada still has a functioning Supreme Court. That’s because the state legislature passed NV SB469, which provided $600k in “emergency” funds to hold them over for a little while longer. There are, of course, larger issues beyond an unpredictable budget that are created by the propensity for government agencies and courts to use traffic and other citations as a revenue generation source.
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I always said if everyone wanted to run the system in the ground all you have to do is follow all laws!
ReplyDeleteThis is not a small problem. Many places fund programs, etc., with revenue from traffic citations. It's a phenomenon which has become known as "policing for profit". In Delaware a portion of the revenues generated by citations written by police officers goes back to the local governments in which the violation occurred. In Maryland all revenues (with the exception of court costs) go into the state general fund. In Delaware it is illegal to fund a total municipal budget with revenue from traffic citations. This is supposed to prevent municipalities from pressuring officers to write tickets rather than warnings. Everyone from the Shore knows that small municipalities in Delaware are places you don't speed through. Yet in Maryland the State Police are the big ticket writers. Follow the money people. It's all about the money. Another interesting fact. Speed cameras are justified in Maryland by local governments to slow traffic and reduce dangerous driving in school zones. They argue that the implementation of the cameras will reduce violations yet they commit the funds generated by the tickets (which DO go to the municipalities) to special long term programs. BUT if the cameras work as promised, the number of violations will be reduced along with the related revenue. Consequently what will be left behind are unfunded liabilities. The funding for which will have to be picked up by the taxpayer. Policing for profit is a no win situation.
ReplyDeletedrive the system into the ground! they will just find another way to take your money at the end of a barrel like they have been doing! comply or die!
ReplyDeleteresistance is futile!