After receiving a traffic ticket in Georgia, you might wonder whether the police officer who cited you had any financial incentive to do so. Are police officers pressured to write as many traffic tickets as they can? Is there evidence of financial corruption within the world of traffic tickets? These are important questions that affect our entire society, and recent investigations have shed light on this issue. If you were issued a traffic ticket and you believe that your situation is unfair, a traffic ticket lawyer in Georgia may be able to help.
Officers Admit They Were “Pressured” to Write Traffic Tickets in Georgia
For years, rumors have been spreading about traffic ticket “quotas” for police officers. The general suspicion was that police officers were ordered to write a certain number of tickets each month. Until now, these rumors have been difficult to confirm. However, a recent report by ANF Atlanta News First highlights the reality of this situation.
According to two former police officers in South Georgia, the pressure to write traffic tickets is very real. They say that many South Georgia cities rely heavily on fines and forfeitures to fund their municipal budgets – implying that a serious conflict of interest exists.
One of these officers stated that he became disenchanted with his local police department after being told to write at least “four to eight” speeding tickets per day. He was policing an area with a population below 1,000 people. What happens if nobody breaks the speed limit on a certain day? According to the officer, this simply didn’t matter. His boss told him that those speeding tickets paid for his police vehicle and his paychecks.
As a result, this officer admitted to writing “dozens” of speeding tickets per day – many of which were completely unnecessary. Eventually, he became “sick” of this injustice and started looking for a different department.
Another officer failed to write the necessary four to eight tickets per day, and he claims that he missed out on work opportunities as a result. Reporters looked into their department and determined that traffic tickets often made up around 50% of the city’s annual budget. This is actually quite common in Georgia, where almost 20 cities get 25% or more of their budget from fines and forfeitures.
Some have described this as “taxation by citation.” Concerned groups state that instead of protecting public safety, police officers are acting almost like tax collectors.
Can a Traffic Ticket Lawyer in Georgia Help?
A traffic ticket lawyer in Georgia may be able to help those who face unfair fines. Recent investigations raise important questions about whether police officers are being pressured into writing tickets. While these questions will likely go unanswered, you can take decisive legal steps to avoid unnecessary fines with help from Lankford & Moore Law. Contact us today to learn whether it might be possible to fight your ticket.
