WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Williamsport Bureau of Police humorously addresses the subject of where does money generated from tickets issued to drivers actually go.
Let’s tackle everyone’s favorite comment-section theory: “Police just write tickets to make money.”
Ah yes, because nothing says “get rich quick” like standing on the side of the road explaining basic traffic laws to someone who definitely “almost stopped,” “wasn’t going that fast,” or is “pretty sure that light was yellow.”
Whether it’s a stop sign, speeding, or any other common violation, a typical citation might run you around $150. Sounds like a payday for the police department, right? Not quite.
$25 is the actual fine for a stop sign violation. The other $125? Court costs, state fees, EMS surcharges, and all the glamorous stuff that goes literally anywhere except a police department.
Now let’s talk about that $25 everyone thinks officers are cashing in on. Only half of that $25, that’s $12.50 for those of you who were wondering, makes it to the issuing municipality. But wait…there’s more.
That money does not go to the officer. It does not even go straight to the department. It first has to go through the court system and eventually it will make its way into the municipality’s general fund. The same pot that pays for roads, lights, and all the other unexciting but necessary things that keep a town running. By the time it is filtered through budgets and allocations, it is just becomes regular town money.
According to Williamsport Bureau of Police, the point of the ticket is not for making a profit. It is to enforce the law, keep roads safe, and remind drivers that traffic rules exist for a reason, whether it is a stop sign, speed limit, or anything in between because police have seen firsthand how terrible things can go when laws are ignored. So the next time someone says tickets are just a “cash cow,” feel free to remind them: It is NOT a money-making scheme, if it was then police are doing a terrible job.
