Chicago, Illinois suburbs set up speed traps in which no one OTHER THAN A FELLOW POLICE OFFICER can escape a traffic citation.

Police in Chicago, Illinois suburbs are citing terrorism as a reason for “no mercy” speed traps where every motorist stopped by police — other than fellow police officers — receives a traffic citation. A Chicago Sun-Times analysis found that a total of thirty towns had a policy where more than 90 percent of drivers stopped must be ticketed.

“There’s a lot of people who come in and out, and with all this terrorism and everything else that’s going on, we have zero tolerance,” North Chicago Police Sergeant Sal Cecala told the Sun-Times. “There’s no breaks for the officers to give.” (Well, aparently, there ARE breaks…just to other police officers.)

North Chicago has a 99.5 percent ticket issuance rate — only 21 drivers got warnings out of 4372 stopped. To increase ticket revenue further, the city is preparing to install automated ticketing cameras at intersections. Only Prairie Grove beats North Chicago with a 99.9 percent ticket rate, but police officials insist that officers do not have a ticket quota. In Markham, the ticket issuance rate is 99 percent. In Riverside, it is 96 percent.

Only a few suburbs including Geneva and Plano have ticket issuance rates below 25 percent, ensuring that only serious violations are ticketed. Drivers who may have strayed over the limit without endangering anyone receive warnings.

Source: (Chicago Sun-Times, 8/12/2007)

An off-duty Maricopa County, AZ sheriff’s deputy was stopped and cited by Peoria police recently for going 96 mph in a posted 45 mph zone, officers said. Jason Parker was cited and released at Hassayampa Justice Court for speeding AND having no proof of insurance. Police said Parker was observed going westbound at a high rate of speed by a Peoria police motorcycle officer.

A radar reading indicated Parker was going 96 mph in a posted 45 mph zone, police said. Peoria police said Parker admitted he was showing off his new Corvette for a friend. He faces an administrative investigation by the sheriff’s office in addition to paying the speeding ticket.

Well, this is different…

In Carmel, Indiana police have launched a program where ordinary citizens are issued radar guns to clock speeders.

Dubbed the Citizens Speed Monitoring Program, the effort has been underway for about a year. The citizens clock the speed, and if a violation is observed, they report back to police with the speed and vehicle information. Letters are then sent from police to the speeders warning them of the violation. No summonses are issued.

Apparently, similar programs have already been established in communities in California, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia.

It’s a bit early to draw any firm conclusions about such programs without seeing statistics, problems encountered, and other relevant feedback, but definitely an interesting idea.

Of course, not everyone is thrilled with such a program.

“I think it is a little bit offensive,” said Indianapolis attorney Will Gooden, whose criminal practice includes defending clients fighting traffic citations. “I just have a general concern about extending the police power. It’s sort of a slope you start down. What will regular citizens do next for the police?”

I would say that I would have to agree! Ordinary citizens probably aren’t given proper training on the intricacies of operating radar guns and evaluating speeds visually and audibly. But, they aren’t issuing real tickets — just warnings. So, I guess it isn’t all that bad. But… What’s Next!

Legislation allowing plainclothes police officers to give speeding tickets was rejected by the Virginia House of Delegates.

Delegate Roslyn Tyler of Sussex County was against the bill, saying female motorists could be endangered by criminals impersonating police officers.

Delegate Bill Carrico of Grayson County, also spoke against the bill. A former state trooper, Carrico said it would be confusing for a public that’s accustomed to only getting speeding tickets from uniformed officers.

Delegate John Cosgrove, the author of the bill, said plainclothes officers already are allowed to pull motorists over for violations other than speeding.

Thankfully, the bill was rejected on a voice vote.

Yes, cops are using trickier and trickier methods for running ‘covert’ radar speed surveilance.

Last summer, hundreds of Central Florida motorists were ticketed by a costumed Uncle Sam officer in a weeklong operation targeting speeding holiday drivers.

About 20 sheriff’s deputies on motorcycles pulled over speeding motorists after they were detected by Uncle Sam’s laser speed-detection gun. During the four-hour traffic operation, 275 citations were issued, according to sheriff’s deputies.

“Unless Uncle Sam hops in your car and puts his foot on your gas pedal and makes you speed, we are not entrapping anybody,” Orange County traffic division Officer Ken Wynne said.

Speeding tickets handed out by Uncle Sam started at $80 and increased with each mile per hour over the speed limit, Orange County sheriff’s deputies said. Later, during the week of Fourth of July, Uncle Sam was on the lookout for red-light runners and aggressive drivers in Orange County. In the past, deputies have dressed up as elves near Christmas, the Grinch at New Year’s and a leprechaun around St. Patrick’s Day.