Friday, April 9, 2010

Cost of a ticket in Woodstock

I wonder how Woodstock cops can sleep at night. Do they really feel good after they write a ticket for failure to signal a turn? Or is the pressure so great within the P.D. to keep their ticket count up that they'd rather lose sleep from writing a "cheap" ticket than take the heat from their sergeants for letting their ticket numbers slide.

Sure, writing a ticket for a traffic violation doesn't have to be big deal for either the driver or the cop. It shouldn't cause either to lose sleep. If a driver makes a minor mistake, he might get a ticket, pay the fine and go on his merry way. The cop may even feel that he has contributed to the driver's safety by making the traffic stop and issuing the ticket.

But $187.00 for not signalling a turn?

Here's the breakdown for a driver who got a ticket in Woodstock in March.

$40.00 fine
$15.00 Circuit Clerk fee
$15.00 Court automation fee
$15.00 Court document fee
$10.00 Mental Health Court fee
$5.00 Court fee
$25.00 Court Security fee
$35.00 Court Supervision
$13.00 Child Advocacy Center
$10.00 PTF10 TR/CR surcharge
$ 4.00 Violent Crime Assistance Fund
$187.00

The fees for this driver were 360% more than his ticket!

At least one traffic court judge tells the public that he only sets the fine. He then tells the public that they are likely to get mad when they are told how high the total court costs are when they get to the payment window, but that they should not get mad at the women who work there. They should get mad at the County Board and the State Legislature.

Well, I agree. Every person who gets a ticket and pays these exorbitant court costs should appear before the County Board at one of its morning or evening meetings and take up his full three minutes to protest these outrageous costs.

And he should go to Jack Franks' office and give him an earful. You don't have to be polite, but don't be aggressive or act unlawfully. Let Jack and his staff really get your message.

If Jack really wants to do something for McHenry County, he should knock down these fees.

Frankly, when $187.00 gets sucked out of the community for a $40.00 ticket, the public ought to revolt. Not only should the drivers revolt, but so should the merchants, because that's $147.00 that could have been spent in their stores.

6 comments:

Toa said...

But that's not a problem if YOU call the police and sic them on somebody you THINK is violating the law is it, Gus? Following you too closely, or speeding as your radar-like trained eyes detect? Get the police to arrest them and then they too can pay those fines and you'll get all the warm fuzzy feelings you need. If that fails, perhaps you can go tell their mommies! Pathetic. Speaking of which, you have this habit of posting your "charges" against people and then publishing their license plates. Good move. What happens when somebody, perhaps a "road rager" gets wind of your little stunt and takes offense. What happens if THEY come looking for your infamous red Beetle at 500 Lake Av in Woodstock and decide to seek revenge? Not a smart move. Maybe you should content yourself to just whining about these folks without identifying them specifically.

Gus said...

Tao, not a problem. If some "road rager" comes looking for me or my stuff, he'll get to deal with the consequences.

I don't complain to the police about minor, chicken-sh*t violations, like failing to signal a turn. Even an inattentive tail-gater would get a pass from me.

The intentional, aggressive tail-gater? That's another story. That's a dangerous driver who is going to kill somebody someday, and I'll do my part to get him off the road.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Tao gets my vote. Reason- I have always believed that in the long run, you always get what you deserve. In this day & age, there are many thugs/loonies/crietins out there (you even write about them sometimes), and despite the absolute fact that I disagree with you a solid 50% of the time (Doh!), one of these bums is gonna show up at your doorstep or car door and send you to your eternal reward.
Gripe/Bit*h/Complain all you want (you're real good at that), but becareful in your "public" identification or you're ask'n for it.

Notawannabee said...

Gus how about this. Pay the fine by mail and cut a check for $75.00. Court costs are for those that contest the ticket and clog the system. If you win, Nada. Walk out only having spent your time. Lose and pay the piper. These court assessments keep taxes down OR would you like to see huge fines like in Wisconsin starting at over $150.00 for these as you call them Chicken Sh*t tickets.

Get a ticket in Arizona and the basic minimum fine is $187.00. Fight it the ticket and the costs go to well over $300.00. But do this and you wouldn’t have anything to gripe about.

You are Woodstock’s own Don Quixote. There are several parallels. Don Quixote meets innkeepers, prostitutes, goatherds, soldiers, priests, escaped convicts, and scorned lovers. These encounters are magnified by Don Quixote’s illustrative imagination into chivalrous quests.

Our local version meets with, African student ICE detainees, defends habitual offenders, constantly charges against the nasty “road rager" the wiley “ tail-gater” Stands up to that scurge, the Sheriff of Nottingham.( McHenry) Only magnified by Gus Philpotts zealotry, then followed by annoying yet entertaining delusional bloggings of distorted ramblings. Now he crusades against the evils of the court system.

Will I see you, sword in hand slashing at the ‘windmill’ south of Rte 14 & Lakeshore?

Wait….you need a sidekick. A personal Sancho Panza … Zane Seipler, maybe Mike Mahon?

Unknown said...

I have personally written these CS tickets as you call them for improper signal / or failure to signal, and lost in court. I wrote the proper section, but the judge failed to read further in the section where it defines when it's required. You call yourself a traffic crusader but if you think about it this is in the Illinois Vehicle Code and it is a law. So you suprise me on the parts of the law that you would like enforced.

Another Lawyer said...

If you pay the $75 without going to court you may get a conviction when you could have avoided it. This system is totally gamed ... and my guess would be that there's nothing that can be done about it.

Although, my idea is that the Supreme Court should pass a court rule that costs may not exceed fines....

Just a thought