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Dallas County turns to traffic fines to cover basic budget

Last year Dallas had to forego a traffic ticket roundup because the county jail was overstuffed and couldn't handle the extra inmates. Now that Dallas County faces a $34 million budget shortfall, however, commissioners suddenly appear more sanguine about jail overcrowding. Reports the Dallas News ("Dallas County deputies to begin arresting people with unpaid tickets today," July 1):the county is unleashing more than 250 deputy constables and sheriffs across North Texas to begin arresting people who haven't paid their tickets. The county is launching its 90-day zero-tolerance operation to collect as much of the $200 million in unpaid traffic tickets as possible. The more than 600,000 outstanding tickets date back decades, but county officials need only to collect a small percentage to generate a windfall of needed revenue...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on July 03, 2008 (boomark / email).