[Second Amendment First]

There is no question in my mind that the main function of the police here is revenue collection. Towns with a piece of interstate going through put up speed cameras. Forestell is known for it's speed trap on I-70 west of St. Louis. St. Ann cops are all along I-70 by the airport.

In St. Charles county each town has it's own force, plus the sheriffs officers, plus a newly created county police department.

The Highway Patrol in St. Charles county sends it's rookies out to the local shopping areas on weekends to practice by getting revenue out of the white middle class housewives for minor offenses like too dark window tinting etc.

Now in St. Louis county Flordell Hills, with just 822 residents, will soon have its own police force:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/flordell-hills-with-just-residents-will-soon-have-its-own/article_92a738a9-1f88-5a82-8acb-362735bab904.html

[Theoria]

From a previous thread.

Revenue agents are out of control.

'Twenty-two percent of Ferguson residents live below the poverty line, and 21.7 percent receive food stamps. The unemployment rate in the town is 14.3 percent, or more than double that of St. Louis County and Missouri as a whole.

“Despite Ferguson’s relative poverty, fines and court fees comprise the second largest source of revenue for the city, a total of 2,635,400,” according to the ArchCity Defenders report. And in 2013, the Ferguson Municipal Court issued 24,532 arrest warrants and 12,018 cases, “or about 3 warrants and 1.5 cases per household.”

Exacerbating the problem, the report says, are "a number of operational procedures that make it even more difficult for defendants to navigate the courts." A Ferguson court employee reported, for example, that “the bench routinely starts hearing cases 30 minutes before the appointed time and then locks the doors to the building as early as five minutes after the official hour, a practice that could easily lead a defendant arriving even slightly late to receive an additional charge for failure to appear.”'

[Responsibility2nd]

From earlier today....

How municipalities in St. Louis County, Missouri profit from poverty

Thursday, September 04, 2014 6:26:45 AM · by iowamark · 32 replies

Washington Post ^ | 9/3/2014 | Rodney Balko

 

 

Its a looooonnnnnggggggg article. And as you expect - it gets down to Ferguson and how its all Whiteys' fault.

 

[hosepipe]

On the other hand; having lived in St. Louis once upon a time..

I remember of more than one woman upon being evicted for none payment of rent..
Were outraged at that and burnt their apartments down..
How dare “whitey” making those demands..

Theres a million stories in the big city..
And then theres East St. Louis across the river...
I know...... DON’t ASK!!..

[call meVeronica]

Just for argument sake why did she need to speed or not put her seatbelt on?

Not sure this has a great deal to do with poverty but personal responsibility.

[Rockingham]

The article is measured and well-reasoned and makes a persuasive case against the malpractices that it describes. More broadly, local governments everywhere commonly take a financially predatory attitude toward the public with minimal check from elected officials.

[Rodamala]

"Stop breaking the law, A$$hole."

[DoodleDawg]

St. Louis county is the armpit of Missouri, and most people know it. But in all fairness to them, it's not just a matter of towns preying on poor black people. Across the border from Kansas City is Johnson County, KS. A number of years ago Johnson County spent an enormous sum of money on a new county jail. Once they got it running - it was highly automated and it took a couple of years to get the bugs worked out enough for it to be used - they realized that they had this huge facility and large staff...for a county with comparatively little crime. So they started sentencing people to jail time for comparatively minor offenses. Convictions that will get you probation in Jackson County, Mo. will get you jail time in Johnson County. DUI offenses that will get you suspended sentences in other counties get you sent to jail in Johnson County. And they particularly like to sentence people to work release for DUI or small drug violations or other minor offenses rather than house arrest. That's because they charge you room and board for staying in the work release facility. How much depends on your income but it averages over $300 a month per inmate for a facility that holds several hundred. And which is constantly filled.

So really the only difference between the communities in St. Louis County and the good folks in Johnson County is that the Missouri towns just think small.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Evidently the author feels that blacks are inferior and cannot be held to the same standards as everyone else.

[Rocky]

I agree that municipalities too often use traffic tickets as a major source of revenue rather than for the purpose of trying to maintain safe roads.

But the woman used as an example in this article is another one of these people who makes a whole bunch of bad choices and then wants society to bail her out. It isn’t just poverty, it’s bad choices. Like getting tattoos instead of paying traffic fines. I’m sure if you went to her house you’d find more evidence of money spent on luxuries instead of necessities.

I hope states can find a way to get these small municipalities under control, but trotting out these poverty examples isn’t doing anything for the argument in my book. We all need justice, and crooks in government are especially distressing. Justice should be enough of an argument to win the day.

[combat_boots]

Cities profit from all people who live within their boundaries. Some of these profits are spent as salaries, while others are operational costs of doing business.

[IronJack]

I’m white. If I don’t pay my traffic tickets or appear in court to contest them, no judge is going to buy my “I’m po” defense.

Does Shandalier think it should be different for her?

Black privilege!

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The Florissant officer first took Bolden to the jail in that town, where Bolden posted a couple hundred dollars bond and was released at around midnight. She was next taken to Hazelwood and held at the jail there until she could post a second bond. That was another couple hundred dollars.

So she did have the money.

[grundle]

Driving is a big responsibility, and the person in this article broke numerous driving laws. Also, having four babies out of wedlock is just plain stupid.