Bill Would Make ‘Policing For Profit’ Ticket Schemes a Federal Civil Rights Violation

[Dave70968]

Bill Would Make ‘Policing For Profit’ Ticket Schemes a Federal Civil Rights Violation
March 15, 2015 12:19 pm·

Police departments all over the United States are raking in the money from average citizens. These aren’t hardened criminals, they are every-day people whose rights are being violated by greedy departments and cities which have criminalized victimless behavior in order to make millions off of people who are just minding their own business.

In some cases, these revenue-generating schemes seem to deliberately target specific groups that the police want to shake down for revenue. Now, right on the heels of the Department of Justice report on Ferguson, Missouri, Representative Emanuel Cleaver came out with a bill that he says will help keep the police under control.

Cleaver’s will introduce a bill that would make the sort of policing practices documented in the DOJ report a federal civil rights violation.

Representative Cleaver is calling the bill The Fair Justice Act. It would make it a civil rights violation punishable by up to five years in prison for any police officer, chief or department in the United States to try to enforce any criminal or traffic laws if the purpose for such enforcement is raising revenue for the city.

“The time has come to end the practice of using law enforcement as a cash register, a practice that has impacted too many Americans and has disproportionately affected minority and low-income communities,” Representative Cleaver told The Washington Post. “No American should have to face arbitrary police enforcement whose sole purpose is to raise revenue for a town, city, or state.”

The FBI investigation into the Ferguson Police Department documented dozens of anecdotal data of African American residents being disproportionately targeted by police for ticketing schemes. We recently reported that a full 75% of Ferguson residents have active warrants out for their arrests right now!

“What we saw was that the Ferguson Police Department, in conjunction with the municipality, saw traffic stops, arrests, tickets as a revenue generator, as opposed to serving the community,” President Obama said, commenting on the DOJ report. “And that it systematically was biased against African Americans.”

http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/...ket-schemes-a-federal-civil-rights-violation/

 

[CHenry]

Good!

 

[CharlieMurphy]

How about electing police chiefs? That would create an interested dicotamy.

 

[Defnestor]

So if the police department issues ticket with 60% of the intent to generate revenue, and 40% to promote safety, do they only get 3 years?

 

[aarondhgraham]

It's about time for something like this,,,
But I doubt the law will make much difference.

In the past decade the OSBI has ran several investigations against "predatory police departments",,,
They have shut down some speed traps but as far as I know,,,
No cops or their bosses have been indicted.

I seem to recall that the Coyle PD got into a small bit of trouble,,,
It seems that over 75% of their operating budget came from traffic fines.

This is just some more knee jerk feel-good legislation,,,
In a year no one will be concerned at all.

Aarond

.

 

[ssgrock3]

good luck enforcing that. If you broke the law and get a ticket, that's where it will stop.

Feel good legislation at best. Coyle needs all the help they can get before they fall off the map, lol. But 75% of their budget isn't like much money i can tell you. Nothing to the town.

 

[HFS]

Half the towns in Oklahoma would dry up and blow away.

 

[vvvvvvv]

How about electing police chiefs? That would create an interested dicotamy.

Many cities and towns in Oklahoma hold elections for Police Chief.

 

[mr ed]

Yea! No more speed limits, drunk driving laws, disturbing the peace, etc. No more laws at all because they are all for raising money. Won't this be a fun place to live?
won't you feel safer? (sarcasm)

 

[Verdigris]

It's unenforceable. "No your honor, I did not pull over that man to give him a ticket and make money. I pulled him over because he was speeding. That he was ticketed for said offense, and that ticket invokes a fine, is purely coincidental." Nothing to see there citizen. Move along.