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Are troopers under a quota for writing traffic tickets?
No, troopers are under no quotas.
While troopers are best known for writing traffic citations,
they are responsible for a great variety of activity. Troopers
assist over a half-million people a year, conduct motor vehicle
inspections, respond to and investigate traffic crashes, and
investigate other criminal activity. In addition, they issue
approximately 400,000 warnings a year. There is no minimum level
of activity for any category of activity. |
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Is traffic enforcement just another way to raise revenue?
No. The mission of the Patrol is to reduce crashes, deaths,
and injuries on the roadways of Ohio. Because of a policy of
firm but fair enforcement, Ohio is consistently among the safest
of the most populous states.
Ohio State Highway Patrol operations are funded through a gasoline
tax, so the Patrol receives no benefit from traffic fine money.
While the state of Ohio receives some fine money, the majority
is retained by the municipality and/or county in which the offense
occurred. |
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Why don’t troopers concentrate on "serious" crimes
instead of traffic offenses?
Crime-fighting is designed to protect citizens from threats
to life, limb, and property. Traffic crashes, though largely
preventable, claim twice as many lives each year as murders.
In America in 1996, a person was murdered (on the average) every
27 minutes, while a life was lost in a traffic crash every 13
minutes. And while there was an aggravated assault every 31 seconds,
there was also a crash-related injury every nine seconds.
Nobody expects to die in a traffic crash, but thousands do each
year. Since traffic crashes can be (and are) prevented by fair
and firm traffic enforcement, the enforcement of these laws has
a significant effect upon society. |
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Why enforce speed?
Excessive speed is consistently a leading contributing factor
in serious crashes. Since the Patrol's primary mission is to
reduce crashes and the accompanying death and injuries, speed
enforcement is imperative. |
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How do Ohio troopers measure speed?
Trooper can measure speed by "pacing" vehicles (following
them and observing the speed), with measuring devices (such as
radar and laser), and from the air. |
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Is airborne speed enforcement hearsay evidence?
No, Patrol pilots who witness the offenses are also troopers.
As the ground unit stops the offender who was "clocked" from
the air, the trooper/pilot oversees the stop to assure the proper
vehicle(s) are contacted. |
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How fast can I go without getting a speeding ticket?
You may be issued a traffic citation for any speed over the
speed limit. |
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What do I do if I lost my Ohio speeding citation?
In Ohio, citations are issued through specific court jurisdictions
and you will need to contact the court in order to resolve the
issue. Since you likely don't know the court because the citation
is lost, you will have to contact the Patrol Post that issued
the citation and have them provide you with contact information
for the court. Please let us know where you were issued the citation,
and hopefully we can direct you to the correct Post.
While on the road if dial *77 from my cell phone will
I get the Ohio State Highway Patrol?
There is no application for law enforcement agencies in Ohio
utilizing the *77 number on your cell phone.
The Ohio State Patrol has a toll free hotline at 1-877-7PATROL.
Dialing this phone number on your cellular phone will connect
you with the closest patrol post in the area in which you are
traveling through, and will dispatch an Ohio State Trooper to
render assistance.
In addition to the *77, there is also information about *65 providing
the same feature, again there is no application in Ohio.
If you need assistance while you are traveling call 1-877-7PATROL.
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