Quotas & Surveillance: Two Tennessee Bills May Alter Traffic Ticketing

 Posted on June 20, 2020 in Traffic Violations

Seeing the red and blue flashing lights in your rearview mirror is never a good feeling. Maybe you did not realize how fast you were going, forgot to use your turn signal, or went through a red light thinking you could make it in time. Regardless, getting pulled over and receiving a traffic violation can be a blow to your ego and your wallet. Tennessee legislatures have been reviewing traffic ticketing policies and presented two bills that address the topic. Although neither is set in stone, your ability to be ticketed and how the violations are recognized may change upon the approval of the following two bills.

Meeting Quotas

You have likely heard the rumors to avoid speeding tickets toward the end of the month since this is typically when police officers hand out the most tickets to meet their monthly quotas. The Tennessee General Assembly is working hard to put an end to ticketing sprees that come up just so cops can fill their ticketing quotas. Technically, Tennessee already prohibits ticketing quotas per legislature from 2010. However, this law does not present any penalties for doing so and some argue that the lack of punishment renders the law useless. In order to address the lack of consequences, SB2458 would create mandatory fines for any police departments that implement a quota system for traffic ticketing. While this bill may not keep you from getting a ticket if you are found driving recklessly, it may reduce the number of unnecessary and inaccurate traffic tickets being delved out to meet a monthly allotment.

Under Surveillance

In an attempt to monitor criminal activity on Tennessee’s busy roadways, a bill has been presented that would allow law enforcement to utilize surveillance cameras on interstate highways. As of now, surveillance cameras are only allowed in construction zones to hold drivers accountable for placing road workers in danger for reckless driving. The purpose of HB2110 is not to monitor local or state traffic violations, but rather it would be used to track criminals using the interstate and detect movements of criminal suspects. Legislators also highlight that the technology would assist in locating Amber Alert suspects. This bill has yet to be passed, but it is under consideration in the House and Senate. With the installation of this new technology, one has to wonder if and when the cameras will be used to detect average traffic violations, such as speeding on the interstate.

Call a Knoxville Traffic Violations Attorney

New bills and legal suggestions get proposed in the House and Senate all the time, though many do not make it through. However, since the two bills mentioned above address contentious social areas, police misconduct, and citizen safety, they may be ones that cross the finish line and become enacted into law. Jeffrey Coller, Knoxville Criminal Defense Attorney, remains up-to-date on all changes to Tennessee legislature, especially those that directly affect his clients. If you have recently received a traffic violation, call our skilled Knox County criminal defense lawyers at 865-281-1000 to discuss your defense options.

Sources:

https://landline.media/tennessee-bill-would-bring-surveillance-cameras-to-interstates/

https://landline.media/tennessee-bill-sets-penalty-for-ticket-quotas/