If you’re of the belief that perhaps tickets and citations cost too much in Dallas, the city wants to hear from you according to a WFAA ABC 8 article published on December 17th. In it they say:
“Dallas is one of a handful of big cities acknowledging that it’s a bad business model for local government to rely on criminal fees for revenue. They are especially worried about those charges putting a disproportionate burden on low-income residents and people of color. The city is asking for public input through a survey that is active until Friday, Dec. 18th. Click here to take the survey.”
This is timely as for the past two weeks alone, Garland has issued over 80 citations alone just for seatbelt violations according to a Dallas Morning News article published on December 7th. In it the say:
“When the Garland Police Department ramped up patrols for seat belt violations for two weeks last month, officers dished out dozens of citations to motorists across the city. Between Nov. 16 and Nov. 29, the police department said 81 people were cited for seat belt and child seat safety violations. The escalated patrols were funded by a Texas Department of Transportation program, police said in a press release. Altogether, Garland police officers made 224 traffic stops, 93 of which led to citations for speeding and red light violations, issuing another 89 citations for other traffic-related offenses.”
Though violators definitely need to be fined, maybe discussing the way and rate at which we fine people could be beneficial.
