Here is the 9New story with more details: Citation Nation: Taxation through tickets? Numerous Colorado towns are citing drivers so often that court fees and fines bring in 30 to 90 percent of their revenue.
Jeremy Jojola and Katie Kuntz
12:17 p.m. MDT April 27, 2015
This week, 9Wants to Know will profile the top four towns that make the biggest percentages of revenue from fines and court fees. Forty towns that make above the state average of four percent will also be revealed in an interactive map.
The investigation involves an extensive financial analysis of 270 towns and cities across the state, numerous records requests, hundreds of miles driven and multiple interviews with mayors, board members and police officers.
POLL:
9Wants to Know if you think there should be a law that would place a budget cap on ticket fines and court fees that cities and towns can collect.
AIRING THIS WEEK:
Monday at 4 p.m.: Town pays for entire police department on tickets given to out-of-towners
Monday at 9 and 10 p.m.: How far will a city go to collect its money?
Tuesday at 9 and 10 p.m.: A speed trap you can see from space
Wednesday at 9 and 10 p.m.: What happens when a city cuts back on writing tickets?
Thursday at 9 and 10 p.m.: The Colorado town that only exists because of ticket revenue
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
MOUNTAIN VIEW - A 12-block town with 10 police officers made more than half its revenue from traffic tickets and court fees, an investigation by 9Wants to Know and I-News at Rocky Mountain PBS found.
Mountain View, which sits in the Denver area, continues to cite drivers as they unknowingly pass through the town's borders near Sheridan Boulevard and West 44th Avenue in Denver.
Last year, 9Wants to Know exposed the towns ticketing scheme that focused on dangling air fresheners and cracked windshields.
Mountain View is the second biggest ticket farm in Colorado, according to the 9NEWS Citation Nation series, which is revealing the cities that rely the most on tickets. The series is using comprehensive 2013 budget data to show which towns make the biggest percentages on citations and fees.
The state's average is about 4 percent made from fines and fees.
I Tweeted our Facebook link of this investigative story (which contains a link to this thread) to the reporter who is doing the reporting and he was kind enough to re-Tweet our link to his 6,547 Followers!
I'm looking forward to the discussion after tonight's story! Tune in at 9 or 10!
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
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Last edit: 18 Aug 2020 15:44 by ScienceChic. Reason: fixed a broken link
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Well, here it is. What did you think of the broadcast? I was surprised to find they have a policy of not writing tickets unless you are going at least 15 over the speed limit (I've heard otherwise), but didn't indicate whether that was for the patrols on 285 only, or also within town limits. They mentioned that the number of accidents on 285 has remained steady, but there's no crash data to indicate whether speed was a factor in those - it would be nice to know what the actual factors are for each (i.e. maybe targeting distracted driving would be more effective in reducing accidents).
Also interesting was the quick interview of the CU Denver professor stating that there is "no solid empirical evidence that shows traffic ticketing is an overall solution to public safety. You might get the same effect handing out warnings or placing a dummy car or using other sort of mechanisms to decrease the flow of traffic." Do you think the other solutions listed would work for 285 or would we regulars get wise to them and ignore them altogether? If so, would the accident rate go up, I wonder?
MORRISON - A notorious speed enforcement zone in Morrison helps rake in 52 percent of the town's revenue, a joint investigation by 9Wants to Know and I-News at Rocky Mountain PBS has found.
The Morrison Police Department asserts it will not issue speeding citations to drivers unless they go 15 or over the limit. Ticket data reviewed by 9Wants to Know indicates this policy holds true.
When asked about the 15-and-over policy, Lt. Joiner said it was put in place five years ago, because it's hard for drivers to dispute they were breaking the law.
""Well, because of our reputation. We're considered a speed trap," Lt. Joiner said. "You can't argue 15 MPH."
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
I never had an issue with Morrison police speed traps. Would love to see the average speeds decrease going downhill in Turkey Creek Canyon, witnessed too many horrible accidents there.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
The Denver Post has weighed in on the issue, referencing the 9News/Rocky Mountain PBS series. So how do you foresee towns like Morrison adjusting if they were capped? What would they do differently to bring in revenue/cut expenses. Is 20 cops for just 428 people excessive? Do you think accidents would happen more frequently if they had to cut back the number of tickets they wrote a year, or would just their presence out there be enough?
Five towns earned more than 30 percent of their revenue from traffic tickets and fines: Campo, Mountain View, Morrison, Nunn and Manzanola. The state average was 4 percent, according to the investigation.
The town of Morrison, with 428 people, has a police department of more than 20 officers. Traffic fines in 2013 brought in more than $1.15 million — 52 percent of its budget. And the vast majority of tickets are issued at a single spot,
according to 9News
, "about four miles from the main part of town ... just within the city limits" on Highway 285.
It's a speed trap, in other words.
A handful of states limit the amount cities can collect from traffic tickets — including New York and Arkansas. Missouri, for example, caps the amount at 35 percent of a town's budget.
Colorado lawmakers should consider a statewide cap — possibly something around 20 percent.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
