Since the killing of Mike Brown, one of the issues that has garnered attention is the way that many municipal courts work as debtor's prisons that generate vital revenue for tiny cities and police departments throughout the St. Louis region. For instance, witness the use of bail amounts in Velda City: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/velda-city-sued-in-federal-court-over-bail-amounts/article_995390e1-af64-591d-a5f2-6f71234b3996.html
A few days ago, 80 of the 82 municipalities announced that they had agreed to a uniform fine structure. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-municipal-courts-agree-to-uniform-fines-court/article_7851b8a5-52d3-59e6-804c-4f2883acbc77.html
This voluntary action comes with the looming possibility that the Missouri legislature may enact further limits upon the allowable uses of revenue from traffic fines and the like, a tightening of the so-called "Mack's Creek" law that was named after a notorious speed trap: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/municipal-court-revenue-limits-debated-in-jefferson-city/article_73a15a44-87f5-57fc-9dc6-7fa7e83238e5.html
What will be the effects? Unsurprisingly, some of these small communities may have to disband, which points to the fact that their police departments have been revenue generators.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/with-court-revenue-facing-limits-budgets-look-tenuous-in-many/article_97ada24f-14b8-5737-b14d-e67da840b15f.html
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