Valley Brook is no speed trap, records show
http://newsok.com/valley-brook-is-no-speed-trap-records-show/article/3905622
The town of Valley Brook, Oklahoma, generates about 80 percent of its revenue through police-related activities, but Police Chief Mike Stamp says he is not running a speed trap or writing tickets strictly to generate cash.
VALLEY BROOK The town of Valley Brook generates about 80 percent of its revenue through police-related activities, but the town's chief of police says he is not running a speed trap or writing tickets strictly to generate cash.
Police Chief Mike Stamp concedes that his officers write plenty of tickets that generate hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue each year.
The town has eight full-time officers and five more working part-time, a big police force for a town of less than 1,000 people.
Stamp said the majority of the people his officers deal with are out-of-towners, drawn to Valley Brook because of its two strip clubs, Little Darlings and Fancy's.
Records reviewed by The Oklahoman show that Stamp is telling the truth, at least about not running a speed trap.
For the first nine months of 2013, Valley Brook police wrote 3,347 tickets. Only 261 of them or about 8 percent were speeding tickets.
For those pulled over in the town, the most likely outcome is a warning ticket. Valley Brook officers issued 736 warnings to drivers from January to September, which represents about 22 percent of all citations written in the nine-month time frame.
Drivers in Valley Brook are also more likely to get ticketed for driving with a suspended or revoked license or having an improper or expired tag than they are for speeding.
I think we are in a unique situation here in Valley Brook ... with the type of businesses that we have, Stamp said.
From a police standpoint, we're out here taking care of what matters. We're not out here with the intentions of writing tickets to make money ... to generate revenue for the town. We're trying to keep the drugs off the streets, the drunks off the streets.
Night court
Many people ticketed or arrested in Valley Brook end up in night court, which is held in the town hall most Wednesdays during the year.
On a recent Wednesday night, Stephen Haynes, the town's municipal judge, held court over a room half-filled with a wide range of alleged offenders.
Many of those in court were young men. One young woman looked like she could belong to a sorority at any college. Another man wore scrubs and a rain jacket with a hospital logo on it.
Eleven of the citations were on possession of marijuana. Nine people were cited on driving without a valid license. Six were cited on prohibited use, possession or sale of controlled dangerous substances.
Only five speeding tickets were adjudicated that night.
During court, Haynes gave a lengthy speech about the rules and procedures of his courtroom before he started dealing with cases. He told those in attendance they could use a phone in the corner to call family members for money.
For those who didn't pay, Haynes threatened swift arrest.
He's serious about getting paid, a defense lawyer said of Haynes.
Indeed, Haynes described an array of payment methods, including a website that allows users to pay traffic tickets online.
Bail amounts totaled more than $7,000 that Wednesday night.
Shortly after Haynes finished his lecture, a line formed to hand the town's treasurer wads of cash.
If you got an aunt in Philly, get on the phone and call her, the judge said. She can get on the computer and pay your ticket right there.
http://newsok.com/valley-brook-is-no-speed-trap-records-show/article/3905622
The town of Valley Brook, Oklahoma, generates about 80 percent of its revenue through police-related activities, but Police Chief Mike Stamp says he is not running a speed trap or writing tickets strictly to generate cash.
VALLEY BROOK The town of Valley Brook generates about 80 percent of its revenue through police-related activities, but the town's chief of police says he is not running a speed trap or writing tickets strictly to generate cash.
Police Chief Mike Stamp concedes that his officers write plenty of tickets that generate hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue each year.
The town has eight full-time officers and five more working part-time, a big police force for a town of less than 1,000 people.
Stamp said the majority of the people his officers deal with are out-of-towners, drawn to Valley Brook because of its two strip clubs, Little Darlings and Fancy's.
Records reviewed by The Oklahoman show that Stamp is telling the truth, at least about not running a speed trap.
For the first nine months of 2013, Valley Brook police wrote 3,347 tickets. Only 261 of them or about 8 percent were speeding tickets.
For those pulled over in the town, the most likely outcome is a warning ticket. Valley Brook officers issued 736 warnings to drivers from January to September, which represents about 22 percent of all citations written in the nine-month time frame.
Drivers in Valley Brook are also more likely to get ticketed for driving with a suspended or revoked license or having an improper or expired tag than they are for speeding.
I think we are in a unique situation here in Valley Brook ... with the type of businesses that we have, Stamp said.
From a police standpoint, we're out here taking care of what matters. We're not out here with the intentions of writing tickets to make money ... to generate revenue for the town. We're trying to keep the drugs off the streets, the drunks off the streets.
Night court
Many people ticketed or arrested in Valley Brook end up in night court, which is held in the town hall most Wednesdays during the year.
On a recent Wednesday night, Stephen Haynes, the town's municipal judge, held court over a room half-filled with a wide range of alleged offenders.
Many of those in court were young men. One young woman looked like she could belong to a sorority at any college. Another man wore scrubs and a rain jacket with a hospital logo on it.
Eleven of the citations were on possession of marijuana. Nine people were cited on driving without a valid license. Six were cited on prohibited use, possession or sale of controlled dangerous substances.
Only five speeding tickets were adjudicated that night.
During court, Haynes gave a lengthy speech about the rules and procedures of his courtroom before he started dealing with cases. He told those in attendance they could use a phone in the corner to call family members for money.
For those who didn't pay, Haynes threatened swift arrest.
He's serious about getting paid, a defense lawyer said of Haynes.
Indeed, Haynes described an array of payment methods, including a website that allows users to pay traffic tickets online.
Bail amounts totaled more than $7,000 that Wednesday night.
Shortly after Haynes finished his lecture, a line formed to hand the town's treasurer wads of cash.
If you got an aunt in Philly, get on the phone and call her, the judge said. She can get on the computer and pay your ticket right there.
