GERMAN JUDGE LETS SPEEDING DRIVERS OFF THE HOOK

HOT WIRE—Have you noticed that highway patrol and parking enforcement officers have gotten a lot more aggressive when it comes to issuing citations lately? With state and local governments hurting for revenues, critics say that officers letting violators off with a warning is going the way of doctors making house calls—i.e., it’s in danger of becoming extinct. With this backdrop, Reuters is reporting that a German judge has shot to popularity after letting 42 speeding drivers off without charges recently. Why? Because he’s convinced that speed controls merely serve to fill the state's coffers rather than prevent accidents. Bernd Kahre, spokesperson for Herford court in northwestern Germany, told Reuters that Judge Helmut Knoener wants to make a stand against the current practice of prosecuting speeders. According to the spokesman, Judge Knoener believes speed controls are not conducted to ensure greater road safety, but rather to provide the cash-strapped state with an additional source of income. “Knoener sees no legal justification for using photos in speeding-related court cases and is calling for clearer regulations about how, when and where speed controls can be conducted,” says Michelle Martin of Reuter. Alas, the Public Prosecution Service can still appeal the sentences, according to the court spokesperson.