It seems there was a lot of anecdotal evidence that local counties increased the number of traffic citations as a form of revenue enhancement (i.e., tax increase). But if this article is true, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis did a landmark study of North Carolina data that confirmed that as county revenues decreased, the number of citations issued increased.
I guess here in Hawaii we are fortunate that all revenue from traffic citations, which are issued by county police, go directly to the state. It was done that way for two reasons. First, because the revenue is intended to fund the state courts that adjudicate the citations (From what I understand, this was central to the agreement when the county courts were transferred to the state). And secondly, because it removes the conflict of interest that is reflected in the Reserve Bank study.
Have a Great Weekend, Everyone - Aloha!
