Serving And Protecting
No wonder this town made the list of worst speed trap cities in the country.
Police Officer Gives Himself $21,000 Raise Using Stop Sign Tickets
"Day after day in Warren, Mich., people wait in a long line to pay traffic fines. Many are there because police say they didn’t come to a full stop at a stop sign. Often the policeman saying that is Officer David Kanapsky.
On last week’s “20/20,” you heard a motorist in court insist that she did come to a complete stop. The judge replied, as judges there often do: “I find Officer Kanapsky’s testimony to be credible. He is an unbiased witness.”
But the officer is not really unbiased. The more tickets he writes, the more overtime he gets. Last year, Kanapsky spent so much time in court he increased his pay by $21,000. Rolling through a stop sign in Michigan puts two points on your driving record. That hikes your car insurance premium. Fighting the ticket could cost even more. So to avoid the points and legal fees, most people plead guilty to a lesser offense: impeding traffic. The court sounds like an assembly line, ” … no points … $135 … “
Last year, the town made half a million dollars from such fines. Some drivers told us it “seems like a moneymaking scam.”
Funny thing though. After word got out about this shakedown the stop sign was turned into a yield sign. Fewer accidents resulted.
It's been proven again and again that heavy handed manipulation of traffic is counterproductive. It was always wrong to lull drivers into a sense of safety with an overabundance of signs, lights and strictures. It's the inherent caution in ambiguity that breeds safety.
And fewer bullshit tickets.
"In the US, traffic engineers are beginning to rethink the dictum that the car is king and pedestrians are well advised to get the hell off the road. In West Palm Beach, Florida, planners have redesigned several major streets, removing traffic signals and turn lanes, narrowing the roadbed, and bringing people and cars into much closer contact. The result: slower traffic, fewer accidents, shorter trip times."
Police Officer Gives Himself $21,000 Raise Using Stop Sign Tickets
"Day after day in Warren, Mich., people wait in a long line to pay traffic fines. Many are there because police say they didn’t come to a full stop at a stop sign. Often the policeman saying that is Officer David Kanapsky.
On last week’s “20/20,” you heard a motorist in court insist that she did come to a complete stop. The judge replied, as judges there often do: “I find Officer Kanapsky’s testimony to be credible. He is an unbiased witness.”
But the officer is not really unbiased. The more tickets he writes, the more overtime he gets. Last year, Kanapsky spent so much time in court he increased his pay by $21,000. Rolling through a stop sign in Michigan puts two points on your driving record. That hikes your car insurance premium. Fighting the ticket could cost even more. So to avoid the points and legal fees, most people plead guilty to a lesser offense: impeding traffic. The court sounds like an assembly line, ” … no points … $135 … “
Last year, the town made half a million dollars from such fines. Some drivers told us it “seems like a moneymaking scam.”
Funny thing though. After word got out about this shakedown the stop sign was turned into a yield sign. Fewer accidents resulted.
It's been proven again and again that heavy handed manipulation of traffic is counterproductive. It was always wrong to lull drivers into a sense of safety with an overabundance of signs, lights and strictures. It's the inherent caution in ambiguity that breeds safety.
And fewer bullshit tickets.
"In the US, traffic engineers are beginning to rethink the dictum that the car is king and pedestrians are well advised to get the hell off the road. In West Palm Beach, Florida, planners have redesigned several major streets, removing traffic signals and turn lanes, narrowing the roadbed, and bringing people and cars into much closer contact. The result: slower traffic, fewer accidents, shorter trip times."
posted by nolocontendere at 6:46 PM
2 Comments:
One of the most disturbing developments that has occurred this decade, is the willingness of so many sheeple in this country to always give the government the benefit of the doubt.
The comments thread at the page linked to is full of idiotic remarks by government polestrokers defending the actions of these asshole cops by claiming that "if you follow the law, you have nothing to worry about". Fascism's useful fools.
Totally brain dead zombies. It's like a piece of their intellect has been lobotomized and doing what they're told has assumed greater importance than self awareness.
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