“Missouri limits how much money local governments can get from traffic tickets, so about 40 percent of the tickets Pagedale issued are for non-traffic-related offenses. In 2014, the city issued 2,255 non-traffic-related tickets. That is roughly two tickets per household. The harm to Pagedale residents is significant, perpetual and completely overwhelming. Pagedale’s policy of raising revenue by ticketing, convicting, fining and even jailing its residents turns policing on its head. Rather than ensure that the public is protected and wrongdoers punished, Pagedale sets a revenue goal and then uses its code enforcement powers to achieve it.”
http://ij.org/ll/december-2015-volume-24-issue-6/small-town-uses-code-enforcement-laws-big-payoffs/
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