Tag Archives: traffic lawyer mo

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.”

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.

 

Class action lawsuit filed against the City of Florissant

November 10, 2016

The City of Florissant has been sued  in Federal Court in a class action lawsuit on October 31, 2016 alleging a de facto debtor’s prison system. ArchCity Defenders, a non-profit organization providing civil representation and legal counsel, joined with a Washington DC firm are representing the Plaintiffs. The lawsuit alleges Constitutional violations under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection and due process clause and the 6th Amendment’s right to counsel and the right to a hearing to determine a person’s inability to pay. Allegations include “thousands [were] denied their civil rights while Florissant made $14 million. The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division seeks injunctive, declaratory and compensatory relief for the plaintiffs and thousands of class members.

The allegations continue indicating that City officials used municipal codes and petty justifications such as unpaid parking tickets to target residents and jail them. Conditions are deplorable with inmates often kept in the same clothing for days or weeks. Women are denied menstruation products. Food quality is poor causing many detainees to be undernourished.

In 2015, Florissant collected $2.3 mill in court fines and issued 28,000 arrest warrants. Warrants can be issued for those who are unable to pay fines or miss court dates. If picked up on an arrest warrant, individuals can stay in jail until they pay a “bond.”

Florissant is a suburb in North St. Louis County. 

Kirksville Municipal Court Traffic Information

September 8, 2012

Kirksville Municipal Court
Adair County

General Information:
Phoebe Powell Herrin, Municipal Judge

Linda Sandstrom, Court Clerk
201 S. Franklin
City Hall
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 627-1237 
(660) 627-7941(facsimile)
http://www.kirksvillecity.com/
Hours: 8:00 – 5:00 

St. Louis County, Missouri Judicial Circuit 21

March 19, 2012

St. Louis County, Missouri Judicial Circuit 21

St. Louis County Traffic Division

The St. Louis County Traffic Division prosecutes all violations of the state traffic laws (but not municipal or county traffic ordinance violations), which occur in St. Louis County. The St. Louis County Traffic Division also handles trial de novo appeals from Missouri Department of Revenue driver license suspensions and driver license revocations for such matters as DWI / DUI blood alcohol test / breath test refusal (“refused to blow”) and drivers who have accumulated too many points on their Missouri driving record.

Traffic Court is held in the Buzz Westfall Center on the 3rd floor.

Fill out the form on the side of the page for a free consultation with an experienced traffic attorney about your case. State speeding charges can result in 3 points on your ticket. A no proof of insurance ticket is a 4 point violation. It only takes 8 point for you to receive a suspension of your driving privileges.

If you received a municipal or county traffic ordinance violation in one of St. Louis County’s 86 municipalities find your court below.

St. Louis County Circuit Clerk
Joan M. Gilmer, Circuit Clerk
St. Louis County Courthouse
7900 Carondelet
Clayton, MO 63105

General Information Telephone Number:314-615-8029

Associate Criminal/Traffic Telephone Number: 314-615-4773 or 314-615-2649

Associate Criminal/Traffic Fax Number: 314-615-2689
Please Note, there is a ten (10) page limit for all fax filings.

Circuit Clerk’s Office Hours
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Pay your ticket at 105 South Central, Clayton, MO 63105 on the 1st floor at the Cashier Window for the Circuit Clerk’s Office. You need the cost bill that was given to you when you appeared in Court.

Courts Building Hours
6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday

Municipal Courts in St. Louis County
Ballwin Municipal Court
Bel-Nor Municipal Court
Bel-Ridge Municipal Court
Bella Villa Municipal Court
Bellefontaine Neighbors Municipal Court
Bellerive Acres Municipal Division
Berkeley Municipal Court
Beverly Hills Municipal Court
Black Jack Municipal Court
Breckenridge Hills Municipal Court
Brentwood Municipal Court
Bridgeton Municipal Court
Calverton Park Municipal Court
Champ Municipal Court
Charlack Municipal Court
Chesterfield Municipal Court
Clarkson Valley Municipal Court
Clayton Municipal Court
Cool Valley Municipal Court
Country Club Hills Municipal Court
Crestwood Municipal Division
Creve Coeur Municipal Court
Dellwood Municipal Court
Des Peres Municipal Court
Edmundson Municipal Court
Ellisville Municipal Court
Eureka Municipal Court
Fenton Municipal Court
Ferguson Municipal Court
Flordell Hills Municipal Court
Florissant Municipal Court
Frontenac Municipal Court
Glen Echo Park Municipal Court
Glendale Municipal Court
Grantwood Village Municipal Court
Green Park Municipal Court
Greendale Municipal Court
Hanley Hills Municipal Court
Hazelwood Municipal Court
Hillsdale Municipal Court
Jennings Municipal Court
Kirkwood Municipal Court
Ladue Municipal Court
Lakeshire Municipal Court
Mackenzie Municipal Court
Manchester Municipal Court
Maplewood Municipal Court
Maryland Heights Municipal Court
Moline Acres Municipal Court
Normandy Municipal Court
Northwoods Municipal Court
Norwood Municipal Court
Oakland Municipal Court
Olivette Municipal Court
Overland Municipal Court
Pagedale Municipal Court
Pasadena Hills Municipal Court
Pasadena Park Municipal Court
Pine Lawn Municipal Court
Richmond Heights Municipal Court
Riverview Municipal Court
Rock Hill Municipal Court
Shrewsbury Municipal Court
St. Ann Municipal Court
St. John Municipal Court
St. Louis County Municipal Court Central Division
St. Louis County Municipal Court North Division
St. Louis County Municipal Court South Division
St. Louis County Municipal Court West Division
Sunset Hills Municipal Court
Sycamore Hills Municipal Court
Town and Country Municipal Court
Twin Oaks Municipal Court
University City Municipal Court
Upland Parks Municipal Court
Valley Park Municipal Court
Velda City Municipal Court
Velda Village Hills Municipal Court
Vinita Park Municipal Court
Warson Woods Municipal Court
Webster Groves Municipal Court
Wellston Municipal Court
Wildwood Municipal Court
Winchester Municipal Court
Woodson Terrace Municipal Court

Links to St. Louis County Municipality General Information, click here

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.

 

Adair County Traffic Court Information

March 19, 2012
Adair, Judicial Circuit 2
Adair County Courthouse
106 W. Washington Street
Kirksville, Missouri  63501
(660) 665-2552
(660) 665-3420 (facsimile)
Russell E. Steele, Circuit Judge
Kristie J. Swaim, Associate Circuit Judge
Docket  Call:
Judge Steele calls his docket on the first and third Monday and  first Tuesday, following the first Monday, of each month.
Judge Swaim  calls her criminal docket every Wednesday at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. She hears  civil and small claims cases on the second and fourth Monday of each month.  Judge Swaim hears domestic cases on the second and fourth Tuesday of each  month.
General Information:
Clerk’s Office
Linda  S. Decker, Circuit Clerk
(660) 665-2552
(660) 665-3420  (facsimile)
Hours/Days of Operation
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays.
Adair County DWI/Drug Court
106 W. Washington Street
Kirksville, MO 63501
660-665-4224
Adair County Family Treatment Court
106 West Washington Street
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-4224

Adair County Prosecuting Attorney

Matt Wilson
PO Box 314
Kirksville, MO 63501
Phone: (660) 627-3625
Fax: (660) 627-3835

Municipal Courts in Adair County
Kirksville Municipal Court

Brashear Municipal Division

Novinger Municipal Division