Los Angeles Police force seems to be maximizing each traffic stop; LAPD Police Officers are now tacking on multiple violations when drivers are pulled over. LAPD has started off 2010 with a bang: the police department is routinely issuing multiple violations for a single traffic stop. Gone are the days of a 'Speeding Ticket'; now Los Angeles drivers can look forward to fighting not only a speeding ticket, but scenarios including fighting the speeding citation, coupled with additional violations such as cell phone ticket fines and unreadable license plate fines. Los Angeles drivers, interviewed by television news crews, claim average citation fees for a single traffic stop by LAPD can run between $500-$1000.
Also gone: the days of fighting a 'Speeding Ticket' in Los Angeles. If you want to fight that citation, you'd better be prepared to wait. A long time. The Los Angeles County Superior Court laid off 329 in April 2010, staff members, with another round of layoffs scheduled. Court officials say budget cuts mean more jobs will be eliminated over the next two years; an additional 500 layoffs are planned for this September, followed by 530 in fall 2011. Los Angeles County Superior Court currently has 5,400 employees in total. A result of the California State Budget, and also now adding to the problem, Los Angeles County Superior Court has also set a schedule for Court closure each month. As of 2009, Superior Court is now closed the the third Wednesday of each month.
Massive layoffs and closed Los Angeles courtrooms are backing up the county courts even further. Presiding Judge Charles “Tim” McCoy says he's looking at plans to eliminate as many as 1,800 jobs and close up to 180 Los Angeles courtrooms, in order to make ends meet. California State has asked all of the state's 1700 Judges to forgo a day's pay each month in order to deal with the state budget crisis, and California's suffering court system.
Los Angeles Police cars can now be spotted in droves on the county's major freeways, usually with a vehicle pulled over, issuing a citation. A drive of one hour or less on any major artery or freeway yields an average sighting of 4-5 of police vehicles. Police officers are routinely adding multiple violations to traffic stops that typically yielded one, causing backups in the Court system--but, in addition, Los Angeles has removed all live employees from telephone lines and changed all messages to automated; basically, if you've received a traffic ticket or citation, and have a question, you have to go to the Court in person to handle any inquiries.
The result: Los Angeles County Superior Court lines for traffic violations are now absurd, on par with the most popular amusement parks: lines related to traffic citations wrap to the outside of Court buildings, and Court employees are frank about estimated wait time: five hours, standard. The options if you're in Los Angeles: pay that speeding ticket instead of fighting the the citation--just remember to do it online, unless you want to be visiting the 'Disneyland' of Courts. Coincidental, that Los Angeles Court has created five hour lines that no one can afford to stand in? Sure, it's just as coincidental as the removal of any live person from the telephone lines, so that no one can ask a traffic-related question without standing in one of those lines. Revenue, revenue, revenue. Los Angeles County Court seems to be working on fixing that budget crisis, all on its own.