Adventures in Revenue Generation
Police officers in Gardena, California and Rocky Mount, North Carolina have taken to setting up roadblocks to check vehicles for illegal tint, registration and drivers for belt usage and license possession. No drunk drivers were busted, but 62 vehicles were impounded during the four-hour California roadblock alone. Police estimate that each seizure is worth around $1,400 in towing, ticketing and impound fees each. Well, it is twenty-three years past 1984, we suppose. This makes us feel a little queasy and a lot mad. After all, they disbanded the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Who told freaking Gardena they could pick up the mantle. We suppose losing those Nissan HQ tax dollars hurt worse than they initially thought. Thanks Carlos. Thanks a lot. – Davey G. Johnson
Licensing Roadblocks Generate Revenue by Seizing Cars [TheNewspaper]
Showing posts with label Vehicle Roadblock Check. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vehicle Roadblock Check. Show all posts
7/05/2007
7/02/2007
Licensing Roadblocks Generate Revenue by Seizing Cars
From: theNewspaper.com: A journal of the politics of driving http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1830.asp
Roadblocks in California and North Carolina generated significant revenue from licensing infractions and automobile seizures.
North Carolina state police have begun experimenting with short-term "safety checkpoints" that contrast with the more traditional approach used in California.Troopers in Rocky Mount, North Carolina set up a roadblock on Riverside Drive that lasted just thirty-minutes. Joined by the city police, the troopers were able to issue $75 tickets to anyone neglecting or choosing not to wear a seatbelt. Forgetting a driver's license at home yielded $160 citations. The intention behind the short-term roadblocks was preventing motorists from using cell phones to warn friends and family to avoid the road and its inconvenience. According to police, the location of each roadblock spreads quickly.
Traditional four and six hour roadblocks in California this week allowed two police departments to seize 119 vehicles likely to yield $140,000 in fines and fees. In Gardena, 1489 motorists traveling on Redondo Beach and Crenshaw Boulevards between 10am and 2pm yesterday were stopped and ordered to show their paperwork. The effort yielded 62 vehicles seized over licensing violations each of which will likely net $1200 in towing and storage fees. Officers were able to issue another 34 tickets for seatbelt and window tinting issues. No drunk drivers were identified."We were only there for four hours and under 2,000 cars went through the checkpoint," Gardena Police Officer Carl Freeman told the Los Angeles Daily Breeze newspaper. "That means almost 2,000 drivers got educated."The city yesterday received a $468,445 grant of state and federal gas tax money from the California Office of Traffic Safety to conduct additional DUI roadblocks.In the city of Bakersfield, another 1300 motorists were subjected to a search at at Chester Avenue and 40th Street allowing police to collect 57 cars. The roadblock, funded by state and federal gas tax money, lasted from 7am to 1pm. Only one suspected drunk driver was identified.Source: 62 errant drivers make wrong turn in Gardena-- lose cars (Daily Breeze (CA), 6/28/2007)Regional News:Other news about Bakersfield, CaliforniaOther news about Gardena, California
Roadblocks in California and North Carolina generated significant revenue from licensing infractions and automobile seizures.
North Carolina state police have begun experimenting with short-term "safety checkpoints" that contrast with the more traditional approach used in California.Troopers in Rocky Mount, North Carolina set up a roadblock on Riverside Drive that lasted just thirty-minutes. Joined by the city police, the troopers were able to issue $75 tickets to anyone neglecting or choosing not to wear a seatbelt. Forgetting a driver's license at home yielded $160 citations. The intention behind the short-term roadblocks was preventing motorists from using cell phones to warn friends and family to avoid the road and its inconvenience. According to police, the location of each roadblock spreads quickly.
Traditional four and six hour roadblocks in California this week allowed two police departments to seize 119 vehicles likely to yield $140,000 in fines and fees. In Gardena, 1489 motorists traveling on Redondo Beach and Crenshaw Boulevards between 10am and 2pm yesterday were stopped and ordered to show their paperwork. The effort yielded 62 vehicles seized over licensing violations each of which will likely net $1200 in towing and storage fees. Officers were able to issue another 34 tickets for seatbelt and window tinting issues. No drunk drivers were identified."We were only there for four hours and under 2,000 cars went through the checkpoint," Gardena Police Officer Carl Freeman told the Los Angeles Daily Breeze newspaper. "That means almost 2,000 drivers got educated."The city yesterday received a $468,445 grant of state and federal gas tax money from the California Office of Traffic Safety to conduct additional DUI roadblocks.In the city of Bakersfield, another 1300 motorists were subjected to a search at at Chester Avenue and 40th Street allowing police to collect 57 cars. The roadblock, funded by state and federal gas tax money, lasted from 7am to 1pm. Only one suspected drunk driver was identified.Source: 62 errant drivers make wrong turn in Gardena-- lose cars (Daily Breeze (CA), 6/28/2007)Regional News:Other news about Bakersfield, CaliforniaOther news about Gardena, California
6/28/2007
62 errant drivers make wrong turn in Gardena --- lose cars
From The Daily Breeze, 06/27/07
With help from Torrance, checkpoint officers "educate" those cited by having their vehicles towed.By Sandy MazzaStaff Writer
A phalanx of bewildered men, women and children waited at the side of the road after police took their cars for violating state law Wednesday afternoon.
It was the first safety checkpoint in Gardena in about six years. But the excuses had a familiar ring.
"One woman's husband had a valid license and yet she was driving the car (without one)," said Gardena traffic investigator Carl Freeman. "Why? He said she is too scared to get a license. But, she's not too scared to drive on the road with two kids in the car?"
Gardena and Torrance police officers screened drivers for valid licenses and safety violations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Redondo Beach and Crenshaw boulevards.
During the four-hour operation, 1,839 cars went through the checkpoint and 1,489 were stopped by officers. About 3 percent of those, or 62 vehicles, were towed - 49 for unlicensed drivers and 13 for a suspended license. Two vehicles were abandoned before reaching the checkpoint.
Citations were issued to 34 drivers for not wearing seat belts, having bald tires or tinted windows, or other safety violations.
"The goal here is not to take away people's cars. The goal is to turn unlicensed drivers into licensed drivers," Freeman said.
He said unlicensed drivers are more prone to accidents and also don't carry insurance.
Some got angry when police instructed them to leave their vehicles. Officers responded with a courteous but stern lecture.
"Driving in this state is not a right; it's a privilege," an officer told a man with a suspended license driving a new Infiniti SUV.
"Your car will be impounded. Go ahead and get any items you want to take out and leave the key in the ignition."
Gardena has not held a safety checkpoint since 2001.
"We did this for the safety of the community," Freeman said. "We were only there for four hours and under 2,000 cars went through the checkpoint. That means almost 2,000 drivers got educated."
Cars, vans and SUVs lined the secondary inspection area Wednesday, where officers handed out tickets and tow companies took the vehicles. The fee for the tow and 30-day vehicle storage is $1,200 per vehicle.
Many people who pulled up to the inspection area listened as officers scrutinized their identification and told them that their cars would be towed.
Some offered excuses.
One woman waited with her two young children and teenage son while her husband talked to police by the side of the road.
"I feel sad because my daughter is sick," she said. Her husband "was waiting for a vacation to go get a license."
Some didn't seem to care.
A woman who arrived to pick up her boyfriend, whose car was impounded, said she knew he had no license. Then they drove off offering no explanation.
As traffic backed up to Van Ness Avenue, an officer walked up to a white van and said: "Hi. Driver's license?"
The driver shook his head.
"No?" the officer said. He turned toward a secondary inspection area and yelled, "Got one coming in."
With help from Torrance, checkpoint officers "educate" those cited by having their vehicles towed.By Sandy MazzaStaff Writer
A phalanx of bewildered men, women and children waited at the side of the road after police took their cars for violating state law Wednesday afternoon.
It was the first safety checkpoint in Gardena in about six years. But the excuses had a familiar ring.
"One woman's husband had a valid license and yet she was driving the car (without one)," said Gardena traffic investigator Carl Freeman. "Why? He said she is too scared to get a license. But, she's not too scared to drive on the road with two kids in the car?"
Gardena and Torrance police officers screened drivers for valid licenses and safety violations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Redondo Beach and Crenshaw boulevards.
During the four-hour operation, 1,839 cars went through the checkpoint and 1,489 were stopped by officers. About 3 percent of those, or 62 vehicles, were towed - 49 for unlicensed drivers and 13 for a suspended license. Two vehicles were abandoned before reaching the checkpoint.
Citations were issued to 34 drivers for not wearing seat belts, having bald tires or tinted windows, or other safety violations.
"The goal here is not to take away people's cars. The goal is to turn unlicensed drivers into licensed drivers," Freeman said.
He said unlicensed drivers are more prone to accidents and also don't carry insurance.
Some got angry when police instructed them to leave their vehicles. Officers responded with a courteous but stern lecture.
"Driving in this state is not a right; it's a privilege," an officer told a man with a suspended license driving a new Infiniti SUV.
"Your car will be impounded. Go ahead and get any items you want to take out and leave the key in the ignition."
Gardena has not held a safety checkpoint since 2001.
"We did this for the safety of the community," Freeman said. "We were only there for four hours and under 2,000 cars went through the checkpoint. That means almost 2,000 drivers got educated."
Cars, vans and SUVs lined the secondary inspection area Wednesday, where officers handed out tickets and tow companies took the vehicles. The fee for the tow and 30-day vehicle storage is $1,200 per vehicle.
Many people who pulled up to the inspection area listened as officers scrutinized their identification and told them that their cars would be towed.
Some offered excuses.
One woman waited with her two young children and teenage son while her husband talked to police by the side of the road.
"I feel sad because my daughter is sick," she said. Her husband "was waiting for a vacation to go get a license."
Some didn't seem to care.
A woman who arrived to pick up her boyfriend, whose car was impounded, said she knew he had no license. Then they drove off offering no explanation.
As traffic backed up to Van Ness Avenue, an officer walked up to a white van and said: "Hi. Driver's license?"
The driver shook his head.
"No?" the officer said. He turned toward a secondary inspection area and yelled, "Got one coming in."
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