Michigan State Police have enhanced their traffic enforcement

[Kestas]

This is a heads-up. I just heard through the grapevine that the Michigan State Police have a goal of raising $9M via stepped-up traffic enforcement. They're adding some 30 white, unmarked Mercury Grand Marquis to their fleet and will now pull over people for doing only 5 over in a 70 zone - no mercy.

 

[Dan4510]

Those darn speeders, they will be the ruin of society if we dont stop them...

Dan

 

[NJC]

It's taxation.

Don't pay taxes = punishment
Don't pay traffic fine = punishment

 

[Pablo]

Kestas - you write that like it's a bad thing

 

[javacontour]

I might be convinced it's a traffic safety issue if I saw tickets for improper lane usage, tailgating, failure to signal and other offenses that are at least as dangerous as speeding given.

When is the last time you heard of someone pulled over and ticketed for failure to signal?

Nope, just speeding, because it's quantitative and easy to prove, therefor easy to get convictions (spelled ticket revenue.)

T

 

[Kestas]

Here's the official word via our corporate e-mail:

"Important FYI from CrainsDetroit.com Daily Update:

Michigan will launch a 30-day speeding-ticket frenzy. The state estimates that $9 million will be generated in speeding tickets. One million will go to pay overtime for state troopers. There will be 50 state troopers on duty at all times patrolling the six main intersections and highways: I-75 north and south, I-94 from Ann Arbor to Port Huron, the entire length of I-696, I-275 north and south, the Lodge and I-96 from Detroit west to M-14.

There is supposedly a mandate that they pull someone over every 10 minutes and write a ticket. They have 30 brand-new, unmarked Crown Victorias. They are pulling people over for anything and everything - speeding (even at 5 mph over limit), no seatbelt, cracked windshield or mirrors, no use of turn signals, etc."

Pablo, I believe I wrote the post with neutrality and without opinion.

Speaking of opinion, I have two thought about this. One is that sometimes the speeds I see are crazy for the level of idiocy and inattentiveness on our roads. On the other hand, I think police spend too much time "fishing" from the side of the road, which is easy and concentrates on speeding per se, and not the drivers who pull idiotic and boner moves that are often more dangerous than speeders on an open road, and take considerably more work to catch.

Most of my tickets are for speeding on an open road, while every day I see people making moves that risk my life with no repercussions.

 

[labman]

This is an election year. Hope for a lot of new faces in Lansing next year.

 

[moribundman]

New brooms sweep well, labman?

 

[Tosh]

'Fishing' is better than pacing traffic, which is what inadvertently happens when troopers are on the road. I remember for a couple of weeks a few years ago around Tampa where the State Troopers decided to cut down on speeding by pacing at the speed limit. It made for the most miserable congestion and awful frustrating convoys. Imagine puttering along in a tight convoy at the speed limit behind a trooper with wide open lanes ahead. At least by fishing and making a public announcement, there may be a tendency to catch more of the natural-born risk takers.

 

[Korean_redneck]

THANKS FOR THE FAKE NEWS GUYS!!!!! HYUNDAI OWNERS ARE LAUGHING AT ME:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/traffic/speeding.asp

[ January 31, 2006, 02:30 AM: Message edited by: Korean_redneck ]

 

[H2GURU]

Remaining employees' overtime is way down, others are layed-off,people not spending since holiday bills showed up. All these and a few others add up to falling states' tax revenues and they need to get the money from somebody! Here in the Northeast I have noticed a sharp increase in speed traps.

 

[Kestas]

Yup, one of our sharper employess caught this one and passed around the link this morning. My apologies to you all.

H2Guru, the last time I got a ticket I noticed that the fines outpaced inflation. Fines went up 3X while my salary has gone up only 1.5X over the same period.

 

[brianl703]

They're the idiots who aren't paying attention to the road.

 

[eljefino]

I find it hysterical that going "undercover" involves driving a fleet-white Grand Marquis. Except for the chrome grille it looks like a Crown Vic cop car.

Ever see on "cops" when they do drug deals with cameras hidden in "speakers" mounted by the car's sunvisor? If you're dumb enough to get snared....

 

[Matt_S]

The very first thing that entered my mind when I heard this is that the state police here typically announce when they're going to do a sting on the news. They'll even annouce the specific places and times, in hopes that people will ACTUALLY slow down and they won't have to ticket so many people. (How about that for you, police trying NOT to ticket people! There's a refreshing change!) Of course, despite this, people still manage to get pulled over en masse. For this reason, I immediately knew this was fake. We would have heard about it on the evening news. My fellow Michiganders should be able to back me up on this.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

I wonder how many people in MI had heard that? I just got back from a 12 day trip to MI. Most people seemed to be driving slower. Only 5-10mph over the limit instead of the usual 10-20 over. Only saw one State police. He had a SUV pulled over on I-75 North of Flint.

 

[pastmaster]

The Michigan State Police, aren't usually Chicken-****, about enforcement. They are out there in force, in your face and very visable, about traffic enforcement. Like the Texas Rangers, they mean business! They tell you where they will be because they want you to slow down! Saving Lives, not increasing Revenue, is the mission and goal. With Michigan's BAD economy, things have been known to change. I hope not!

The WHITE Crown Vic's? The MSP, have their own color called MSP BLUE! If they want to reduce speeds and crackdown on the IDIOT and lethal drivers, they don't fool around with Sniping, one or two, at a time. They use massive manpower with aircraft, multiple Radar Points and a dozen or more MSP Troopers, ready to apprehend the violators. It's an impressive thing to see. Don't ask me how I know this.

Kestas, Ol'buddy, thanks for the heads-up. Glad it's not true...

 

[Kestas]

The grapevine I talk about in my first post was my girlfriend relaying information from her friend who said he got it from a policeman friend who knows that he speeds.

Then the next day I got independent information saying the same thing via corporate e-mail, which led to Post #6.

I'm gonna see this guy this weekend and give him a hard time about his "sources".

Speaking of unmarked cars, a long time ago I missed getting a ticket because of my "spidey senses". I was doing 77 (again, on an open road) on a freeway through Ann Arbor going to work, when I saw a car pacing me way behind... not going faster or slower than myself. It was a clean dark blue Crown Vic. I immediately let off the gas... the cop behind me lost interest and passed me up, probably looking for bigger fish. Only after he passed me did I see that it was indeed and unmarked patrol car.

 

[user00000]

JHZR2 wrote:

quote:

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Thing is, most of the folks who get caught in speed traps are also the idiots who weave, tailgate, etc... So I could care less.

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What is your definition of a speed trap?

 

[brianl703]

quote:

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every officer is supposed to pull a car over and write a ticket every 10 minutes.

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I think the average traffic stop is a bit longer than 10 minutes, isn't it, with all of the checking of plates and registration that the officer has to do?