Patrol OUR Streets

It comes as no surprise that Georgia has local LEO's patrolling interstates under the guise of public safety when in fact it is a nothing but a shameless act of taking. Nor that in addtion to taking money from non-voting, non-resident travellers, they divert resources away from the citizens they are sworn to serve, leaving them under-protected and over-taxed.

Some say "there oughta be a law". Soon there may be -- Senate Bill 295 which is:

To amend Article 1 of Chapter 14 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions regarding the use of speed detection devices and traffic-control signal monitoring devices, so as to prohibit municipalities from using speed detection devices on federal aid systems; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

This is a reaction to cities that are using federally funded highways running through or around their city as an open purse, establishing themselves as modern day "highway robbers." Now keep in mind, if your municipality really believes their patrols are for public safety and they want to continue patrolling to stop or apprehend reckless or aggressive drivers they can still fulfill that noble role. They just cannot set up a speed trap as these obviously serve no purpose but to tap into an easy stream of "other people's money".

This law would also put enforcement in the hands of appropriate law enforcement agencies at the county and state level (in Dunwoody we are prohibited from referring to layers of government). These agencies can more efficiently coordinate related enforcement activities, like drug trafficking, that are often associated with interstate highways.

You may be wondering what this has to do with Dunwoody, for surely Dunwoody is above such shameful, greedy tactics.  

As it turns out, our founding fathers worked to ensure that Dunwoody City limits included I-285 and an open records request for traffic citations comparing speeding tickets on 285 and a school zone where a child was struck just last year might be revealing. One would suppose, if community safety were a top priority, there would be increased enforcement in the school zone and almost no activity on a highway that has little to do with the safety of Dunwoody's citizens. One would suppose erroneously.

If supporters need a poster child for abuse of jurisdiction and the neglect of taxpayers that this bill addresses, they need look no further than Dunwoody.