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I think the framing of this is a little off—from what I understand from friends living in LA, ridiculous ticketing is endemic, for minor traffic infractions to

I think the framing of this is a little off—from what I understand from friends living in LA, ridiculous ticketing is endemic, for minor traffic infractions to jaywalking. Their perception is that large swaths of the police force are basically being repurposed as tax collectors. It makes sense, it generates a ton of revenue and isn't subject to many of the traditional political procedures. I'd be curious if any LA locals agree or disagree with that assessment?

9999 13y ago
I'm an LA local, and from my own anecdotal experiences and those of my friends, I partially agree with your assessment. There was a a period about 8 years ago when the LAPD and CHP waged an aggressive campaign against automobile drivers that failed to yield the right of way to pedestrians (including jaywalkers). Going after pedestrians (that are actually using crossswalks, but are just entering them after the don't walk countdown starts), seems like a shift in policy against pedestrians. The greater threat by far to life and well-being for citizens here are drivers that don't yield to pedestrians. Of course, pursuing that sort of policy would be to the benefit of the majority of Los Angelusians, and the LAPD's general purpose is not to do anything of the kind.
waterlesscloud 13y ago
No, this is not at all my experience in Los Angeles, and certainly not with LAPD. I've gotten tickets here, but one was on the freeway from CHP, and the other was in Burbank (which is a different city and police department). In Burbank the officer was explicitly waiting for someone to do what I did, which kind of annoyed me. But in Los Angeles itself, LAPD has left me completely alone. I joke that unless you're actively stabbing someone in front of them, they have better things to do. Parking is another matter. There's a parking enforcement department, and they are quite aggressive, 24 hours a day.
- mixmastamyk 13y ago
  For those of us not prone to drug sales, extortion, murder, etc... traffic and parking are our only interaction with local PD. So in most cases it sounds like you are actually in agreement despite the comment above. Most of us have very little interaction with LAPD, since they maintain low numbers of officers for a city its size. But when it comes from extracting $$$ from citizens they are a well-oiled machine. You can expect a parking ticket within 15 minutes anywhere in the city. Santa Monica (a different city) is even more aggressive.
  - waterlesscloud 13y ago
    I'm saying I've never gotten a traffic ticket from LAPD. In my experience traffic enforcement is pretty lax in Los Angeles.
mixmastamyk 13y ago
Adam Carolla has a segment on his podcast he calls "chicken-shit tickets" where he complains about this.

9999 13y ago

I'm an LA local, and from my own anecdotal experiences and those of my friends, I partially agree with your assessment. There was a a period about 8 years ago when the LAPD and CHP waged an aggressive campaign against automobile drivers that failed to yield the right of way to pedestrians (including jaywalkers). Going after pedestrians (that are actually using crossswalks, but are just entering them after the don't walk countdown starts), seems like a shift in policy against pedestrians. The greater threat by far to life and well-being for citizens here are drivers that don't yield to pedestrians. Of course, pursuing that sort of policy would be to the benefit of the majority of Los Angelusians, and the LAPD's general purpose is not to do anything of the kind.

waterlesscloud 13y ago

No, this is not at all my experience in Los Angeles, and certainly not with LAPD. I've gotten tickets here, but one was on the freeway from CHP, and the other was in Burbank (which is a different city and police department). In Burbank the officer was explicitly waiting for someone to do what I did, which kind of annoyed me. But in Los Angeles itself, LAPD has left me completely alone. I joke that unless you're actively stabbing someone in front of them, they have better things to do. Parking is another matter. There's a parking enforcement department, and they are quite aggressive, 24 hours a day.

mixmastamyk 13y ago
For those of us not prone to drug sales, extortion, murder, etc... traffic and parking are our only interaction with local PD. So in most cases it sounds like you are actually in agreement despite the comment above. Most of us have very little interaction with LAPD, since they maintain low numbers of officers for a city its size. But when it comes from extracting $$$ from citizens they are a well-oiled machine. You can expect a parking ticket within 15 minutes anywhere in the city. Santa Monica (a different city) is even more aggressive.
- waterlesscloud 13y ago
  I'm saying I've never gotten a traffic ticket from LAPD. In my experience traffic enforcement is pretty lax in Los Angeles.

mixmastamyk 13y ago

Adam Carolla has a segment on his podcast he calls "chicken-shit tickets" where he complains about this.