There has always been controversy about the small towns that gain revenue by having their local police issue traffic tickets for minor traffic violations. The fines generated from these tickets frequently not only finance the police department but sometimes add revenue to the municipality. That is the case in some notorious villages in north-central Florida.
I remember how that was once dealt with in North Carolina. During the summer of 1958, many ROTC students were at the 6-week summer camp in Ft. Bragg. One weekend, the cadets were given time off – from noon on Saturday to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Several of us went to Whites Beach, but some went to other destinations.
One group of four cadets didn’t return until about 10 p.m. on Sunday and were called on the carpet by their company commander. They had an explanation: they were returning to Ft. Bragg when a policeman stopped them in some small town for an alleged traffic violation. Instead of being given a ticket, they were brought to the police station and held for an extended time until a local judge came and fined them. By the time they were released, it was past their curfew.
The company commander discussed the cadets’ explanation with Ft. Bragg’s military police commander, who was unsurprised because other military personnel had previously reported similar treatment in that town. Deciding to end the practice, he sent a platoon of military police to the town, whose main street was U.S. 301, a federal highway. The platoon, consisting of about 36 armed military police officers, took up positions at the entrances to the town and all crossroads. The platoon leader informed the town officials that because of the treatment of military personnel passing through, the Army was taking control of the highway to the exclusion of the local police. After some discussions, the platoon returned with the cadets’ fine and a promise from the town’s officials that military personnel would not be hindered when passing through in the future.
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