Tag Archives: traffic attorney st. louis

St. Louis County Municipal court revenue down since Ferguson unrest

February 21, 2017

Looks as if the amount of revenue from St. Louis area municipal courts is way down since the social unrest in 2014 after the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson. This is according to research tabulated in an annual report by the Missouri state court system.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch tabulated information from the report and found that the data shows there has been a significant drop in revenue collected by municipal courts in St. Louis County.  Revenue was down from $53 million in fines and fees collected in year ending June 2014 to $29 million in year ending June 2016.

A similar trend can be seen in the number of traffic cases in the city of St. Louis.  The number of traffic cases filed last year fell to 66,008. This represents a drop of 69 percent compared to two years ago.

The data shows that the number of traffic cases in Ferguson last year, 1,736, had dropped 85 percent from two years ago, and non-traffic cases were down a similar percentage.  Ferguson’s court revenue plummeted from more than $2 million two years ago to just $579,000 this last year.  Ferguson had been under fire from the U.S. Department of Justice in the aftermath of Michael Brown. 

Ferguson’s municipal court system had been the target of a scathing U.S. Department of Justice report as well as intense scrutiny from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other media.  Local attorneys can tell you that the long lines out the door are no longer the case.

Other cities in North County known for their intense speed traps along the I-70 corridor have also seen a drop in revenue, according to the court report.

St. Ann, for example, saw revenue drop nearly a million dollars from $2.6 million two years ago to $1.7 million this last year. Tickets issued fell during that same time period from over 25,000 to 9,880. 

Florissant municipal court revenue went from $2.6 million to $1.7 million. Normandy fell from $1.4 million to slightly over $788,000.  Pine Lawn dropped from $2,2 million to $652,925.  Berkeley was down from $1.2 million to $378,327.

Court of Appeals strikes down ordinance establishing new police standards

January 23, 2017

A recent Eastern District of Missouri Court of Appeals ruling struck down an ordinance establishing new police standards in St. Louis County.

St. Louis County had enacted an ordinance authorizing the County Executive to impose countywide minimum police standards.  However, the cities affected by that ordinance filed a petition to have it invalidated. 

The trial court had ruled that the county had no authority to enact the ordinance.  The Court of Appeals affirmed. 

The reasoning was as follows: The Missouri Constitution provides that certain exercises of legislative authority be subject to a county-wide vote. At the same time, the state’s constitution also allows a county charter to authorize any action permitted by statute, including public health standards.  The Court says standards of police conduct fall within public safety and not public health as public health is limited to preventing disease.  Furthermore, the Court held that the county’s authority to legislate police conduct standards does not depend on the proposition that low standards harm residents. 

The Court said: “The County’s reliance on information presented to the County Council as to the impact of this ordinance on public health does not aid its argument for how this was a valid exercise of authority under Section 192.300.  The positive impact that improved law enforcement may have on the public – including the extent to which it improves the community’s physical and mental well-being – is simply not what was meant by “enhance public health” in Section 192.300.  To hold otherwise would be to broaden the scope of authority beyond what the legislature intended by granting counties the power to make “additional health rules” in Section 192.300.  Thus, this Ordinance was not a valid exercise of the County’s authority conferred by that statute.”

Court explains annual DWI breath tester calibration requirement

January 9, 2017

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District handed down an opinion that better explains the calibration of breath testing devices used in DWI cases. The court ruled that the annual certification of the device, which regulations state it be done “annually,” must be taken literally. Annually means within 365 days. The Court went on to say that the purpose of the annual test is to make sure that the BAC tester is accurate when used. The case is MICHAEL RAY SLEDD, Petitioner-Respondent, v. DIRECTOR OF REVENUE, Respondent-Appellant. Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District – SD34272

Any other explanation such as how close to the use of the tester was the simulator certified, or how close to trial for an alcohol-related offense was the simulator certified is irrelevant. The court said that the circuit court erred when it excluded results of a breath test based on the certification of the stimulator. The case was remanded to admit the test results, then determine their credibility, and issue a new judgment.

MADD lowers grade on efforts by Missouri, Illinois to prevent drunk driving

December 5, 2016

Missouri and Illinois slipped in how Mothers Against Drunk Driving ranked both states’ efforts to prevent drunk driving.

MADD recently released its annual overview ranking each state’s progress in stopping drunken driving. There are five areas to judge and rank each state. They include the following:

1) How sobriety checkpoints are conducted;

2) The degree of punishments for putting children in danger;

3) Whether or not ignition interlocks are required, which is a machine that prevents a car from starting if a driver’s blood-alcohol level exceeds a certain limit;

4) Whether drivers licenses are revoked; and

5) The degree of punishment for refusing a blood-alcohol test.

It was just last year that Missouri and Illinois received the highest rating of five stars. This was the first year that a new half-star ranking was used in order to provide a more nuanced analysis of each category.  This year both Missouri and Illinois dropped a half star to four stars.

Each state slipped because of how it handled license suspensions, with Missouri for its blood-test refusals and Illinois for its punishments related to child endangerment.

Missouri does not have a statewide “no-refusal” law that requires police to obtain a warrant to draw blood from suspected drunk drivers who have refused to take a breath test. There are counties, such as St. Louis County since 2013, that do this on their own.  However, other counties have not chosen to do so.

Missouri does have an implied consent law that mandates that a driver who refuses to be tested will lose their driving privileges for one year.  The number of refusals have been dropping in Missouri.

Some 973 people nationwide were killed nationwide in drunken driving crashes.  These deaths occurred between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, amounting to almost 10 percent of all drunk driving accidents. MADD contends that almost a third of traffic deaths on the day before Thanksgiving Day and Christmas involved drunk driving.

 

Missouri Traffic Points Overview

June 18, 2012

Missouri uses a Point System for to determine the suspension and revocation of driver licenses privileges in the State of Missouri.

Below is an overview of the Missouri Point System and answers our most frequently asked “Points” questions:

  • How many points will be assessed against your license if you just pay the fine and plead guilty to a moving violation?
  • How long the points will stay on your license?
  • How many points it takes before your license is suspended or revoked?

Missouri Driver License Point System

The Department of Revenue adds points to your record when it receives notice that you were convicted of a moving violation (a traffic violation while your vehicle was in motion). As experienced traffic law defense attorneys, we keep points from being assessed against our clients’ licenses day in and day out.

The number of points you receive for a conviction depends what type of moving violation resulted in the conviction. For example, a conviction for speeding in violation of a municipal ordinance will result in 2 points being added to your license. However, a conviction for speeding in violation of state law will result in 3 points being added to your license.

A conviction for leaving the scene of an accident in violation of state law will result in 12 points being added to (and the immediate suspension of) your license.

The following are some examples of some state law violations and their point values:

VIOLATION POINT VALUE
Speeding 3 points
Careless & Imprudent Driving 4 points
Knowingly Allowing an Unlicensed Driver to Drive 4 points
A Felony Involving a Motor Vehicle 12 points
Obtaining a Driver License by Misrepresentation 12 points
Operating a Vehicle While Suspended or Revoked 12 points

Missouri Driver License Point Suspension and Revocation

Point Accumulation Advisory Letter – 4 Points in 12 Months.
If you accumulate 4 points in 12 months, the Dept. of Revenue will send you a point accumulation advisory.

Suspension – 8 Points in 18 Months.
If you accumulate 8 or more points in 18 months, the Dept. of Revenue will suspend your driving privilege.

  • 1st suspension – 30 days
  • 2nd suspension – 60 days
  • 3rd or more suspensions – 90 days

Revocation
If you accumulate 12 or more points in 12 months, 18 or more points in 24 months or 24 or more points in 36 months, the Dept. of Revenue will revoke your driving privilege for one year.

  • 12 or more points in 12 months.
  • 18 or more points in 24 months.
  • 24 or more points in 36 months.

Missouri Driver License Reinstatement

To reinstate your driving privilege for a point suspension or revocation you must provide the following:

  • Non-alcohol related: Proof of insurance (SR-22) and $20 reinstatement fee.
  • Alcohol related: Proof of insurance (SR-22), $45 reinstatement fee and completion of SATOP.

Missouri Driver License Point Reduction

When your driving privilege is reinstated, the Department of Revenue reduces your total points to 4. Every year you drive without getting new points on your record, the points will be reduced:

  • 1 year – total remaining points reduced by one-third
  • 2 years – remaining points reduced by one-half
  • 3 years – points reduced to zero

Though your points may be reduced to zero, certain most convictions may remain listed permanently on your Missouri driver record.

Clayton, MO Traffic Court

March 19, 2012

Clayton Traffic Lawyers

Did you get a ticket in Clayton, Missouri?

Stop Sign, Electric Signal Violation, Driving While Suspended, Possession of Marijuana, or any other ticket, our Clayton traffic lawyers can handle it where “no points” is the goal.

Clayton Speeding Ticket Traffic Law Defense

Did you receive a Speeding ticket in Clayton?

Our Clayton traffic lawyers handle speeding ticket defense, where “no points” is the goal.

Clayton MIP Lawyers

Did you receive a Minor in Possession ticket?

Our Clayton MIP lawyers handle MIP defense, where the object is keeping your record clean and your driver license from being suspended or revoked.

Clayton DWI Criminal Defense Attorneys

Did you receive a ticket for Driving While Intoxicated?

Our Clayton DWI attorneys handle drunk driving defense, where your driver license and your freedom are at stake. We handle all aspects including the Administrative Hearing or the ramifications of a refusal.

Let our Clayton traffic law attorneys start helping you today. Contact Us

This page contains Court information Links for Clayton, Missouri.

Clayton Municipal Court

10 S. Brentwood
Clayton, MO 63105

Tel: (314) 290-8441
Fax: (314) 863-0295

City of Clayton, MO website.

For more information regarding your case visit municourt.net.

Judge
Hon. Joseph Dulle

Prosecuting Attorney
Darold E. Crotzer, Jr, Esq.

Court Administrator
Elricka Jones

Court Dates and Docket Dates
Traffic: 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:00 P.M. Doors open at 5:30
Housing: 2nd Thursday of every month at 9:00 A.M.

For information on your ticket, click here.

Court fines may be paid by one of the following methods:

  1. Pay Traffic Tickets Online at https://www.ipaycourt.com/clayton.  Parking tickets can be paid here.
  2. Mail payments in the form of check or money order only made payable to City of Clayton to: Municipal Court
    City of Clayton
    10 S. Brentwood Blvd
    Clayton, MO  63105
  3. Pay fines in person with cash, check, money order, MasterCard or Visa.  Please note that court fine payments must be received before 4:00 p.m. on the day of court.

City of St. Louis, MO Municipal Traffic Court

March 19, 2012

St. Louis Traffic Law and Speeding Ticket Attorneys | St. Louis MIP and DWI Criminal Defense Lawyers

Did you get one of the 19,921 tickets issued in St. Louis City in 2017? Get a free consultation with one of our top City of St. Louis traffic court attorneys. Click Here now or call us at 314-667-5297. Let us help you.

Our traffic law attorneys regularly represent and defend people in the Municipal Court (traffic court) for the City of St. Louis, MO on all sorts of traffic law violations and criminal charges. The following are typical of the type of cases we handle in the City of St. Louis, MO:

  • Speeding Tickets – where “no points” is the goal
  • Driving while Suspended/Revoked
  • Careless and Imprudent Driving (C&I)
  • Stop Sign Violation
  • Electric Signal Violation
  • Driving while Intoxicated (DWI)
  • Minor in Possession (MIP)
  • Possession of Marijuana
  • Possession of Paraphernalia

Let our City of St. Louis traffic court attorneys help you. Act now. You’ll be glad you did.

Click this link to request your FREE, private, no obligation consultation and attorney fee quote.

City of St. Louis, Missouri Municipal (Traffic) Court

City of St. Louis Municipal Court
1520 Market Street, Suite 1120
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 622-3231 (automated ticket Info line)

Richard Torack
Court Administrator
314-657-1878

Newton McCoy
Administrative Judge
314-657-1899

Online ticket information

Rights in Municipal Court

Business Hours:
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday – Friday, except City Holidays.

City of St. Louis, Missouri Judicial Circuit 22
Click Here | City of St. Louis, Missouri Judicial Circuit 22

City of St. Louis, Missouri Traffic Law Defense Lawyers

The traffic law defense attorneys at PulledOver.com are experienced lawyers who provide vigorous legal defense of all types of traffic law violations in the City of St. Louis. From City of St. Louis speeding tickets, to City of St. Louis MIP (minor on possession) defense, to City of St. Louis DWI defense, we can help you avoid the harsh consequences of not having a top defense lawyer to protect your rights in court.

City of St. Louis Speeding Ticket Lawyers

The City of St. Louis lawyers at PulledOver.com handle speeding tickets in the City of St. Louis. We know what you want – “no points” – and we know how to get results.

City of St. Louis MIP Lawyers (Minor in Possession)

If you have been charged with MIP (minor on possession) in the City of St. Louis, we can help. To check our MIP (minor in possession) page, click here. We know what you want – to keep your license from being suspended and your record clean of a conviction – and our City of St. Louis MIP defense lawyers know how to get results.

City of St. Louis DWI Lawyers

Your license and your freedom are at stake when you get a DWI in the City of St. Louis. Time is of the essence. You need an experienced St. Louis DWI lawyer…and you need one NOW. Our top St. Louis DWI criminal defense attorneys provide effective legal representation on Driving While Intoxicated charges. Get a free consultation with one of our top St. Louis DWI defense lawyers, click here now or call us at 314-667-5297. Let us help you.