Oklahoma shuts down small town speed traps

[NFS4]

The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety has designated three towns ? Caney, Moffett and Stringtown ? as speed traps, and has forced two of them to shut down their enforcement on nearby highways.

The decision relates to a 2003 Oklahoma state law, which stipulates that if a town derives more than 50 percent of its operating revenue from speeding tickets, the state can prevent the town from using radar on highways.

One of the towns where radar is now off-limits is Caney, which has a population of about 200 people. It is just off of Highway 69 in Atoka County. According to The Associated Press, Caney derived 64 percent of its operating revenues in 2005 from its speed traps.

Fred Gravett, an OOIDA member from Atoka, OK, said the town started out with one officer running radar.

?Business was so good, they bought another trooper car and hired two more cops,? Gravett said. ?The next thing you know, they?re driving brand-new SUVs. They?re doing OK for themselves, writing tickets right and left.?

The town of Moffet, in Sequoyah County, has also lost its right to run radar on a nearby highway. An official announcement regarding a shutdown of Stringtown?s enforcement has not been made.

http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2007/Jan07/010107/010206-05.htm

 

[OutHouse]

Good!

 

[BrokenVisage]

Originally posted by: Citrix
Good!

 

[goatjc]

lol, I know exactly where this is at. It was about time. If only they could extend those same stipulations further north off of highway 59.

 

[Vette73]

Yea but at the most it will last 1 year. They can;t use it this year so tickets fall below 50% then they go nuts next year and make that money last 2 years.

On then off years etc... Just means more tickets and then trying harder on their "good" years.

 

[sygyzy]

They should have these laws in every state.

 

[Descartes]

Good. I got caught in two of those speed traps a few years back.

 

[amicold]

My traffic court last night must have brought in ten grand in cold cash. The system is so corrupt and stupid how it is set up.

 

[Gibsons]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
They should have these laws in every state.

One down, 49 to go...

 

[OS]

lies, more babies will die now

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: Citrix
GREAT!

FIXED

 

[Scarpozzi]

Awesome. I wish all the other states would do this too. It's ridiculous when these yokels out there get paid from their radar guns rather than busting up meth labs like they should be....

 

[Mill]

Alabama has something a touch better. Towns of under 19k people are not allowed to enforce traffic laws on the Interstate other than serious things like DUI and Reckless driving. They can't run radar, get you for not using your blinker, etc.

Makes driving much easier. Just slow down in the big towns. Now, of course, that doesn't apply to state highways or rural roads. Just the Interstate.

 

[ElFenix]

why bother setting a speed limit?

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: Gibsons

Originally posted by: sygyzy
They should have these laws in every state.

One down, 49 to go...

wouldnt it be more useless the larger a state becomes?