Boatcop
06-03-2006, 06:21 AM
People always claim that the only reason Police agressively pursue DUIs and OUIs is to raise revenue for cities and counties. This should put that notion to bed once and for all.
From the Havasu News:
Where does fine money go?
BY MICHAEL HAYS
Friday, June 2, 2006 11:04 PM MDT
Jeannette will be receiving a lot of checks soon. Her job at the city's Municipal Court office entails calculating and collecting fines levied by police officers.
With the Lake Havasu City Police Department arresting 261 people over the busy Memorial Day weekend for infractions ranging from flashing to fighting, Jeannette's office and the state of Arizona will be having a big pay day soon. Jeannette said she did not want her last name printed due to her job duties.
The city paid for extra officers from Kingman and Bullhead City to supplement LHC forces. The police estimate the cost for enforcement was between $10,000 and $12,000.
But just how much will the city be getting from the levying of fines?
Eighty percent of all money collected from Class 1 misdemeanor arrests goes to the state. Class 1 misdemeanors include underage consumption/possession of alcohol (by far the largest fraction of arrests over the weekend), indecent exposure, and disorderly conduct.
For example, if a 19-year-old from California pays a $420 fine for underage drinking, the city would see only $84. It should be noted that all counties in Arizona abide by the same rules concerning fine allocation.
Fines for operating watercraft under-the-influence (OUI) are steep, in some cases more than $2,000. The divvying of dollars here goes as follows:
$250 base fine
$205 surcharge
$500 prison construction fund (all going to the State of Arizona)
$500 DUI assessment (all going to the State of Arizona)
From this OUI fine totaling $1,455, the city of Lake Havasu receives $230, only 16 percent.
According to a state legislative Web site, monies in the prison construction fund are “subject to legislative appropriation and shall be used to pay for any costs related to prison overcrowding and department support and maintenance.”
Jeannette has seen extreme DUI fines more than $4,000. They result when the driver registers more than double the legal blood-alcohol limit of .08. In DUI cases, the city's proportion of payment shrinks further because an extra $250 DUI abatement is attached, all of which goes to the State of Arizona.
One hundred percent of fine money collected from drug charges goes to the state.
To further illustrate the point, police arrested 163 people for underage consumption/possession, indecent exposure, and disorderly conduct-all Class 1 misdemeanors. Of all the revenue collected from these arrests, the city receives just 20 percent.
From the city's standpoint, that 20 percent chunk goes to court operations. This is to offset the longer hours and added payroll resulting from processing 261 arrests, according to Gayle Whittle, Lake Havasu City's finance director. Any remainder goes to the city's general fund.
As for the added cost of officers for Memorial Day weekend, the department currently has eight vacancies for officers, so their budget has room for the extra staffing.
Acting Police Chief Dan Doyle and Lieutenant Rich Sloma could not be reached for comment for this story.
From the Havasu News:
Where does fine money go?
BY MICHAEL HAYS
Friday, June 2, 2006 11:04 PM MDT
Jeannette will be receiving a lot of checks soon. Her job at the city's Municipal Court office entails calculating and collecting fines levied by police officers.
With the Lake Havasu City Police Department arresting 261 people over the busy Memorial Day weekend for infractions ranging from flashing to fighting, Jeannette's office and the state of Arizona will be having a big pay day soon. Jeannette said she did not want her last name printed due to her job duties.
The city paid for extra officers from Kingman and Bullhead City to supplement LHC forces. The police estimate the cost for enforcement was between $10,000 and $12,000.
But just how much will the city be getting from the levying of fines?
Eighty percent of all money collected from Class 1 misdemeanor arrests goes to the state. Class 1 misdemeanors include underage consumption/possession of alcohol (by far the largest fraction of arrests over the weekend), indecent exposure, and disorderly conduct.
For example, if a 19-year-old from California pays a $420 fine for underage drinking, the city would see only $84. It should be noted that all counties in Arizona abide by the same rules concerning fine allocation.
Fines for operating watercraft under-the-influence (OUI) are steep, in some cases more than $2,000. The divvying of dollars here goes as follows:
$250 base fine
$205 surcharge
$500 prison construction fund (all going to the State of Arizona)
$500 DUI assessment (all going to the State of Arizona)
From this OUI fine totaling $1,455, the city of Lake Havasu receives $230, only 16 percent.
According to a state legislative Web site, monies in the prison construction fund are “subject to legislative appropriation and shall be used to pay for any costs related to prison overcrowding and department support and maintenance.”
Jeannette has seen extreme DUI fines more than $4,000. They result when the driver registers more than double the legal blood-alcohol limit of .08. In DUI cases, the city's proportion of payment shrinks further because an extra $250 DUI abatement is attached, all of which goes to the State of Arizona.
One hundred percent of fine money collected from drug charges goes to the state.
To further illustrate the point, police arrested 163 people for underage consumption/possession, indecent exposure, and disorderly conduct-all Class 1 misdemeanors. Of all the revenue collected from these arrests, the city receives just 20 percent.
From the city's standpoint, that 20 percent chunk goes to court operations. This is to offset the longer hours and added payroll resulting from processing 261 arrests, according to Gayle Whittle, Lake Havasu City's finance director. Any remainder goes to the city's general fund.
As for the added cost of officers for Memorial Day weekend, the department currently has eight vacancies for officers, so their budget has room for the extra staffing.
Acting Police Chief Dan Doyle and Lieutenant Rich Sloma could not be reached for comment for this story.