Mike S

Another reason to avoid cheeseland, documented police harassment corruption! I, too, have experienced almost the exact treatment.

If you, too, have been harassed, improperly treated or "rail-roaded" by the Racine County Sheriff's office, please contact the gentlmen below with your story and also write to the Wisc. contacts below. Note: She was drivng an A6!

From the National Motorists Association and the Chicago Sun Times:

"Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Laney was stopped for speeding in early May in Racine, Wisconsin. She was informed that she had a suspended license in Wisconsin (which was untrue). She was frisked, put in the back of the squad
car, and was taken to the police station. Her car was also towed, so she now owes over $400 in towing costs and fines. In Wisconsin, out-of-state drivers must pay a bond for their ticket (Wisconsin is not a member of the Non-Resident Compact). Laney's AAA bond card was refused on top of everything else.

The media frenzy she has created with her newspaper column is electrifying. Illinois State Secretary Jesse White was outraged by her treatment and AAA is furious as well due to the refusal of their bond card (their lawyers are investigating this).

You can follow the details of her plight on the Sun-Times web site, and read her first two write-ups on her experience here:

Article one: http://www.suntimes.com/output/laney/cst-edt-laney03.html

Article two: http://www.suntimes.com/output/laney/cst-edt-laney17.html

The profiling of out-of-state drivers is nothing new (although the Racine Sheriff's deputies have taken this to a new low as evidenced by Laney's treatment). What is new is the attention that this behavior is getting. This gives NMA members an opportunity to shame officials into putting a stop to
this.

You can contact key officials in Wisconsin and inform them that if ticketing practices such as these aren't stopped, you will hit them where it hurts. the pocketbook. You won't bring your vacation money to Wisconsin anymore. You can send a letter to the Wisconsin Tourism Secretary, the Governor, the Racine Chamber of Commerce and more (we have provided the contact
information for these at the bottom of this email).

Another way you can help out is by sharing your experiences. AAA wants to compile a list of names of Illinois drivers who have had their AAA bond cards refused in Wisconsin. If you or anyone you know has had this happen, please email me with the details and I will pass it onto Mary Laney.

The NMA and I have also volunteered our help to Mary Laney in exposing this area as the trap it is.

Thanks,

Adam Wilson
NMA Illinois State Activist
svt_contour@yahoo.com"



CONTACT INFORMATION
Wisconsin Tourism Secretary
Jim Holperin
PO Box 8690
Madison 53708-8690
608-266-2345
mdelaney@travelwisconsin.com

Racine Chamber of Commerce
300 5th Street
Racine, WI 53403
262-634-1931
ramac@racinechamber.com

Wisconsin Secretary of DOT
Frank Busalacchi
4802 Sheboygan Ave 120B
Madison, WI 53707
608-266-1114

Governor Doyle
Office of the Governor
115 East State Capitol
Madison, WI 53702
608-266-1212

The main newspaper in Racine is the Journal Times.
Journal Times
212 4th Street
Racine, WI 53403
262-634-3322
http://www.journaltimes.com/



Thanks,

Mike S

lookaught::02_Avant!

i hate traffic cops.

luckb0x gamb00ler

stupid question...what's a bond card??

markbradford

go to court to get it back or pay a bond.

Some insurance companies issue bond cards which basically act as "collateral" so they don't take your license on the side of the road. It's a "good faith" card that says you'll actually show up for court.

My ins. co. (progrssive) doesn't issue them. Therefore, I have no license in my wallet. :-/

(BTW you are still allowed to drive without the license card provided you keep the traffic ticket on your person until you get the license back - however, if you try to rent a car out of state you're SOL. This happened to me on a business trip and cost me $400 in cab fares. :-/)

Mike S

Basically a guarantee of payment up to "X" dollars by a company. AAA offers this card with their membership with bond up to $1000.

This means that when you get cited for a ticket and are to post bond on site at the traffic stop, you surrender (give) your AAA card to the police officer instead of cash or credit card payment.

If you don't have one, it's worth every penny. Standard AAA membership of around $50 gets you one.

Mike S

Mike S

at the police station as it is held for 24 hours.

Meaning, bring in your bond card or the actual cash bond and they'll hand you your license back.

By the way, when you get your license back it will have the staple holes from them securing it to your paperwork and the first thing a cop does when he takes your license at a traffic stop is feel/look for those holes. Get a new license when you get your other one back.

Mike S

luckb0x gamb00ler

based on your explanation, it seems that it's most relevant when travelling between states, yes?

PSmalls::DoggieStyle

Not *this* again.....

Mike S

Nice try with your uneducated and uninformed statement.

By the way, the National Motorists Association which is pursueing this is in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and was formed by a bunch of Wisco residents years ago who were fed up with Wisco law enforment,

Maybe you drive as slow as you comprehend what you read, hence no problem with Wiso Law Enforcement.

The whole point is that Wisco cops target out of state drivers. Get it? You are a Wisco resident and have Wisco plates. This is not hard to understand. Well, for most.

Nice try, though. Thanks for certifying your idiocracy by somehow totally misunderstanding the situation and making a personal attack on me.

Mike S

PS - On my drive from Chi to Wisco last week in my Mercedes Sprinter towing a 22 foot enclosed trailer going 5 under in the right lane, I was radar'd five times and lasered twice in less than 100 miles. We also watched an IL plated Jeep get tagged running in spot three of four cars with three Wisco plated cars. Same speed, but he got pulled and the others got to run free.

Sure, no crazy law enforcement and no issues with selective enforcement. I've driven over 70,000 miles in Wisco in the last 20 years, as well as having driven through 46 of the US states. Besides Ohio, nothing holds a candle to Wisco and their BS.

PSmalls::DoggieStyle

You may know some things, but you should work on your communication skills.