In this week’s TheNewspaper.com Roundup!
–Damascus, AR speed trap city back in the news–
–Voluntary Roadside drug testing again on the agenda–
–States resist speed trap transparency–
Friday, September 15, 2017
Arkansas Speed Trap Town Demands Right To Issue Tickets
A notorious speed trap town in Arkansas is fighting for the right to generate the majority of its budget from traffic citations. Damascus, population 379, ran afoul of the state law that punishes towns that generate thirty percent of revenue from traffic fines by prohibiting the local police department from patrolling state highways. On Tuesday, the Arkansas attorney general argued Damascus was wrong to complain that the speed trap law offers no fair way to challenge a speed trap designation.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Federal Agency Proposes Return Of Drug Testing Roadblocks
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to bring back voluntary surveys testing for drugs at DUI roadblocks.
States Resist Speed Trap Transparency
States are more than happy to receive their annual share of $450 million in federal cash used to run speed traps and roadblocks, but they are now actively resisting efforts to increase the transparency and accountability of the programs being funded. Congressional lawmakers attached a provision requiring states to clarify how automated ticketing machines are used within the 558-page law that provides transportation grants. The surveys are to be conducted at federal expense.
Indiana: Court Upholds Stop For Unexpired RegistrationThe Indiana Court of Appeals decided Thursday that police officers can pull over motorists for having expired tags before their registrations actually expire. Indiana registrations lapse at midnight on a day determined by the owner’s last name, but an Indianapolis police officer decided to test the limits on October 21, 2015 by pulling over a car before midnight.
France, Italy, Saudi Arabia: Speed Cameras Sabotaged
In Riedseltz, France vigilantes on Friday disabled the speed camera on the RD263 by painting its lenses black. According to Dernieres Nouvelles D’Alsace, this is the third such attack on the device this year. In Morbihan, twenty-nine speed cameras have been disabled since January, Ouest France reported. The most recent incident took place on the RD775 in La Vraie-Croix where the camera was painted black last week Monday, according to the same publication.
