If the Finance Director were running the city, he might prefer the officer write PARKING tickets! One $27 parking ticket would make more for my city than 5 movers and take 1/10 the time. Larger cities with stiffer fines would find parking enforcement to be even MORE lucrative. And, the Finance Director might prefer the officer to write moving tickets rather than just drive around ... but, darn it, then there is that nasty overtime that tends to come with traffic citations and that effectively kills the incentive. One court appearance at time-and-a-half (minimum 2 hours) defeats the "profit" from about 10 citations. If you have a less than 10% contesting rate, then making a few pennies might be worthwhile. Then, of course, you have to take into account the statutory cap on reimbursements from the state that would effectively remove this incentive from many cities on or about April or May of every year. My previous department hit its cap about February or March of every year ... using the revenue enhancement theory, we should have reassigned the Traffic Division to Patrol or Parking functions at that time.
If it were about money and money alone, officers would be given chalk sticks and golf carts as THAT is where the real money exists.
Since it is the Chief, and police supervisors, that run the police department, they would prefer the officer FI the gang member as that helps to solve crimes and get criminals off the street. Then, later, when some bored officer pulls him over for a tail light out, he could have a warrant and be arrested. (Note: More arrests occur as a result of traffic stops then warrant sweeps or directed warrant details.)
The bottom line is the police department administration is not making decisions to enforce traffic laws on revenue enhancement. Maybe the bean counters at city hall like it as it defrays some small cost of operation, but that is not the marching orders the troops receive.
- Carl