Abstract
Some municipalities, including several in the St. Louis, Missouri, metropolitan area, are suspected of writing excessive traffic tickets to generate revenue. A Missouri statute known as the Macks Creek law is intended to protect residents from ticketing practices aimed at generating revenue for municipalities. In the aftermath of the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri legislators are reexamining the Macks Creek law to make it stricter on municipalities engaged in the practice of raising revenue through writing traffic tickets. This Comment provides background information on the Macks Creek law and compares it to similar statutes in other states. The Comment analyzes problems with the Macks Creek law to learn from its mistakes and proposes objectives that should be considered for an improved version of the law. Finally, the comment argues that Illinois should adopt an improved version of the Macks Creek law to prevent Illinois municipalities from using traffic tickets to generate revenue.
Recommended Citation
Brian Scott,
From Macks Creek to Ferguson: How Illinois Can Learn From Missouri to Prevent Predatory Enforcement Practices by Municipalities,
40
S. Ill. U. L.J.
513
(2016).
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/siulj/vol40/iss3/9