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Fine money
I can't honestly say I know of any departments who have ordered thier officers to write tickets, but it doesn't take a dummy to know if they replenish the towns coffers that money just might be funneled back to the department for saleries.
Thier is only one town in Massachusetts where the money comes directly back to the police dpeartment legally, and that is my department. Any other town that specifically detours money from checks recieved from the state or courts that is related to fines to a police agency is laundering money. It is not legal in any way. My town had a pending layoff in the early 80's, and our state rep at the time intrduced legislation that made earmarking fine money directly to an account that pays saleries and expenses completely legal. Not once did it ever get used for saleries, but we have had cruisers in excellant condition ever since.
When I read stories like Salthearts, being stopped right where speed signs go from 45 to 25 I get pissed, because thats not what enforcing the rules is about. If the posted speed before and after the 25 zone is 45 then it must a road in good shape, fairly uninhabited, rural probably, and under most circumstances you wouldn't get stopped on the road unless you were going 55 or better. High crash-rate intersections, roads where the speed limits is higher, and/or the offending drivers go even fatser, where if a crash were to occur it would be serious if not fatal, are areas that officers should be concentrating on. I am sure you can write just as many citations on those roads, just not as quickly as on a road like Saltheart described.
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