AJC: Are cities, counties policing for profit? (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: 2013, construction)

[PKCorey]

Metro Atlanta ticket traps | www.myajc.com

As he drives west on I-285 toward his job in Cobb County, Jason Bell often sees Doraville police cruisers lying in wait for speeders.

On May 4 they caught him — 79 in a 55. He says he was just going with the flow of traffic at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday, something that’s not hard to believe about the top-end Perimeter.

In fact, when it comes to traffic tickets, he was nailed by one of the most aggressive police forces in the state. Doraville police write an average of 40 tickets a day, most of them on the city’s 2.7-mile stretch of I-285. The city collects more traffic fines per capita than any other in metro Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has found. It also devotes nearly half the city budget to police department operations.

I haven't seen them on 285 over the past couple weeks. Unsure of the construction slow downs have impeded their setup. No surprise that they are #1 though.

Avondale Estate and Pine Lake aren't too far behind either.
Database: Georgia's biggest ticket traps | www.myajc.com

Map: Georgia's worst ticket traps | www.myajc.com

[demonta4]

Maybe people should learn to drive

[sedimenjerry]

Saw this earlier. For one, where can you go 79 at 730 in the morning on that stretch of 285?
Anyway, I have no doubt profit is a factor. I remember when Gwinnett PD couldn't use radar for speeders. Crashes increased marginally. It wasn't statistically significant enough to be contributed to no radar. I used to see Braselton PD at the GA 53 exit a lot. Doesn't really make sense because they only have one exit in city limits (might have changed but I think it's still this way). Nearly all traffic on 85 at that point has nothing to do with Braselton. I get protecting the citizens but the people of Braselton aren't using 85 to get from one side of the city to the other. If Google maps is right, Doraville city limits on 285 include just PIB and Buford Highway and that mile between the 2. Not a lot of purely Doraville traffic there. Obviously it changes with a large city like Atlanta with miles and miles of highway and exits but I think state patrol is much better suited for highways. There's too much of a conflict of interest with too much money for localities to pass up.

[billl]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

Saw this earlier. For one, where can you go 79 at 730 in the morning on that stretch of 285?

According to the quote, the article said it was a Saturday. Although it also said "May 4" which was on a Sunday this year.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by sedimenjerry

If Google maps is right, Doraville city limits on 285 include just PIB and Buford Highway and that mile between the 2. Not a lot of purely Doraville traffic there. Obviously it changes with a large city like Atlanta with miles and miles of highway and exits but I think state patrol is much better suited for highways. There's too much of a conflict of interest with too much money for localities to pass up.

http://www.doravillega.us/wp-content...Annexation.pdf

They have what you stated, the lil portion of 285 but they have the majority of PIB as well to run radar on as well.

Which just shows how aggressive Doraville is in with running radar compared to Sandy Springs which has more coverage of 285.

Interesting all the little cities that use tickets to keep their cities functioning.

Some of the dollar amounts are truly interesting. Dekalb County is #1 in the state with a whopping $85 million over 5 years.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by billl

According to the quote, the article said it was a Saturday. Although it also said "May 4" which was on a Sunday this year.

Ahh. I missed that. Just noticed the person was going to work, automatically assumed it was M-F job. Makes much more sense!

[Mutiny77]

Dekalb County is just TERRIBLE when it comes to this; just about anyone who's lived in the metro for any amount of time knows this.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Dekalb County is just TERRIBLE when it comes to this; just about anyone who's lived in the metro for any amount of time knows this.

Dekalb is pretty predictable though. Same locations every day. Beginning and end of the month, they come out in force.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by demonta4

Maybe people should learn to drive

If one had said this to me a few years ago, I would have agreed 100%. But now I'm not so sure. For all the efforts on enforcement (which bring in $), there is a marked lack of effort to educate drivers of the rules of the road (which costs $). I think if the state of Georgia would take this multi-tiered approach of education + enforcement, and not just enforcement of specifically-selected traffic laws, our roads would be safer and our officers would be better respected. But there will still be that occasional ***hole that believes that he is above the rules, and well, that's who tickets are for!

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

http://www.doravillega.us/wp-content...Annexation.pdf

They have what you stated, the lil portion of 285 but they have the majority of PIB as well to run radar on as well.

Which just shows how aggressive Doraville is in with running radar compared to Sandy Springs which has more coverage of 285.

Interesting all the little cities that use tickets to keep their cities functioning.

Probably best not to mess with Doraville and some of those northeast counties. They have the wrap in case you start acting up.

Demos -Safe Restraints, Inc