Author Topic: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.  (Read 1238 times)

RoadKingLarry

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Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« on: March 29, 2021, 10:31:58 PM »
Reading the filed suit it looks like Monroe County might have a case against the law itself by it's possible conflict with the state constitution and unfunded mandates but to sue the citizen(s) for petitioning the county to enforce the law and suing for court costs and attorney's fees is jackbooted tyranny at best and a blatant move to suppress the petitioners 1st amendment rights.

https://www.nraila.org/articles/20210327/iowa-monroe-co-sues-ifc-for-asking-them-to-follow-law


Tldr: State passes law requiring enhanced security if a premise forbids citizens being armed. Monroe county ignores law. IFC writes letter asking county to enforce the law. County sues IFC and named citizens for asking them to enforce the law.
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MechAg94

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2021, 11:14:08 PM »
Govt entities suing citizens in civil court is something that should be criminal, especially for simply exercising the right to petition the govt. 
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charby

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2021, 11:11:39 AM »
Yep, in some counties, the board of supervisors (usually only 1 or 2 that bully the rest of the board) or the county sheriff think they are dictators. Monroe is a long ways from my current 20, but I'm from that part of the state. It's crazy how much local elected officials think they can get away with.

Our state legislature seems to include local ordinances can not supersede state code/law in much new legislation since the late 70s, but more so in the last 20 years. Legislature from both parties are getting tired of local governments usurping the spirit of state wide laws. Usually stuff is handled via an order from the state attorney's office due to a complaint, so this particular incident is a bit different.

A bit of Segway, I have a feeling traffic violation enforcement by camera will be coming to an end in Iowa in the next year or two. Municipalities put them up as revenue generators and not actual traffic safety devises. Especially since most of them are managed by a third party vendor.
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zxcvbob

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2021, 11:53:53 AM »
A bit of Segway, I have a feeling traffic violation enforcement by camera will be coming to an end in Iowa in the next year or two. Municipalities put them up as revenue generators and not actual traffic safety devises. Especially since most of them are managed by a third party vendor.


I always drive 2 or 3 under the speed limit through Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls with out-of-state plates, and I don't run any yellow lights even when I should (slam the brakes when the light turns yellow.)  I can't remember which of the two is a speed trap, but I think it might be both.  I see traffic cameras all over the place.
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charby

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2021, 11:57:11 AM »

I always drive 2 or 3 under the speed limit through Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls with out-of-state plates, and I don't run any yellow lights even when I should (slam the brakes when the light turns yellow.)  I can't remember which of the two is a speed trap, but I think it might be both.  I see cameras all over the place.

Speed traps

Cedar Rapids on I-380. Waterloo/Cedar Falls on HWY 27/US 218.

I think I-235 through Des Moines Metro does too now. Polk County (Des Moines) also has mobile speed cameras too.

I just assume every stoplight has a red light camera.
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MechAg94

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2021, 12:34:34 PM »
I would comment, but Texas has a rich history of local counties/cities setting up speed traps and being local dictators.  The state has passed a lot of rules changes and DOT regs to limit that. 


There was a spot where I used to live where the cops would set up to write tickets occasionally.  It was a spot where the road transitioned from 35 MPH to 45 MPH, but most were already going faster before the speed limit change.  They would have one officer at the road with a radar gun waving people into a parking lot and one or two cops in there writing people up for 10 MPH over.  I got caught there once.  It was recommended that I show up to court and ask for deferred adjudication which I did.  I essentially paid the find and it was off my record a few months later.  They sort of made it easy, but it was just a revenue generator. 

I remember hearing of a tiny town near a main highway that annexed a couple hundred yards of the highway so they could drop the speed limit and have a officer there writing tickets.  I can't remember what was done to limit that.
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charby

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2021, 12:50:41 PM »
I don't mind an actual police officer running radar/laser for speeders in an established speed limit zone, cops are supposed to enforce the law, right? I don't like it at the actual sign change (to me it's entrapment), maybe down the road a bit from the speed zone change.

I hate speed cameras, they are just unmanned revenue generators, they are only targeting a vehicle, not that actual driver. The citation doesn't even affect your insurance because it's a civil penalty in Iowa.
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Brad Johnson

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2021, 03:28:51 PM »
I remember hearing of a tiny town near a main highway that annexed a couple hundred yards of the highway so they could drop the speed limit and have a officer there writing tickets.  I can't remember what was done to limit that.

You may be talking about Estelline. It's a semi-ghost town on US 287 about two hours southeast of Amarillo. Drove it many, many times growing up.

Entering town from the east you crest a blind rise to face a sudden speed limit drop and hard curve. Speeds used to drop from 75, to 45, then to 35 without warning, and in a matter of a few dozens of yards. You could, quite literally, be standing at one limit sign and hit the other with a poorly-thrown rock. Unless you were on the binders hard enough to break traction, there was absolutely no way to get slowed down. There was always a city cop there, ticket book in hand. No leniency, no leeway, and no exceptions. They were famous for their 1 mph-over tickets.

I think Texas got tired of the notoriety and now requires a combination of "Reduced Speed Ahead - XX MPH" signs and minimum distance between speed limit changes, at least on TXDOT-maintained roadways. It seems to be calculated on enter/exit speeds because it's been years since I encountered speed limit changes requiring much more than just letting off the gas and coasting down.

*edit to add* I found a 2019 Texas Monthly article that still shows Estelline is collecting sizeable revenues from tickets. Guess they're still up to their old tricks. Texas law limits the amount of ticket revenue municipalities can retain. However, it's calculated in percent of total gross ticket revenues so they just make up the difference in volume, I suppose.

Brad
« Last Edit: March 30, 2021, 04:08:09 PM by Brad Johnson »
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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2021, 03:44:54 PM »
Oklahoma has had it's share of speed traps. One of the most notorious is just up the road from me, town of Big Cabin on US 69. One of the local businesses parked a 18 wheeler trailer on his property and painted "SPEED TRAP AHEAD" on the side of it as big as he could get it. City cops were not amused and gave him hell over it, I think he was actually arrested for it at one point. IIRC the town ended up settling on an expensive civil rights violation suite over the deal  The brouhaha got the state legislature involved and they eventually passed a law that a city/town/jurisdiction could only generate no more than a specified percentage of their revenue from traffic fines.
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MechAg94

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2021, 04:06:21 PM »
You may be talking about Estelline. It's a semi-ghost town on US 287 about two hours southeast of Amarillo. Drove it many, many times growing up.

Entering town from the east, there's a hard curve and sudden speed limit drop just over a blind hill. Speeds used to drop from 75 to 45 without warning, and in a matter of a few dozens of yards. You could, quite literally, be standing at one limit sign and hit the other with a poorly-thrown rock. Unless you were on the binders hard enough to break traction, there was absolutely no way to get slowed down. There was always a city cop there, ticket book in hand. No leniency, no leeway, and no exceptions. They were famous for their 1 mph-over tickets.

I think Texas got tired of the notoriety and now requires a combination of "Reduced Speed Ahead - XX MPH" signs and minimum distance between speed limit changes, at least on TXDOT-maintained roadways. It seems to be calculated on enter/exit speeds because it's been years since I encountered speed limit changes requiring much more than just letting off the gas and coasting down.

*edit to add* I found a 2019 Texas Monthly article that still shows Estelline is collecting sizeable revenues from tickets. Guess they're still up to their old tricks. Texas law limits the amount of ticket revenue municipalities can retain, but it's calculated in percent of total gross ticket revenues. They just make up the difference in volume, I suppose.

Brad
I thought the town I heard about was near Austin/San Antonio somewhere.  I think there were/are enough towns like that it is obvious it was a problem. 

Near West Columbia there is one road into town on HW 36 that goes from 55 to 45 to 30 in the shortest distance allowed.  Got a ticket there once years ago.  I missed the 45 sign and hit the brakes as soon as I saw the 30 MPH sign coming up.  The cop was on the other side of the 30 MPH sign.  The ticket was 55 in a 45 I think.  On the other hand, there was no reason at all to drop the speed limit to 30 through that town.  I avoid going through there or spending money there.  I hope they put a bypass around it since I heard the state was widening HW 36 as the Port of Freeport is expanding. 
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HankB

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2021, 09:20:44 AM »
I live in a suburb just west of Austin, TX which is noted for being a speed trap. The funniest thing I ever saw here was a cop on foot in the median literally hiding behind a tree with a radar gun. A couple of other cops were in their cars on a side street, just waiting to chase someone down.

Couple of years ago a guy was arrested here for holding a sign warning of a speed trap ahead. To make a long story short, the local judge was (according to the paper) not amused by the arrest, and the city ended up paying the guy some thousands of dollars for the trouble the cops caused him.
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JTHunter

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2021, 04:53:06 PM »
Check out speedtrap.org for dates and locations.
According to them, the most recent report they have about Cedar Falls is from 2015.  In Cedar Rapids, they have one report from 2020 but the next one there is from 2017.
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Fly320s

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #12 on: April 06, 2021, 12:22:16 PM »
Don't know if you saw this, but the Jackboots in Iowa just went Constitutional Carry.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/546399-iowa-governor-signs-bill-allowing-permitless-purchase-carry-of-handguns
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charby

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #13 on: April 06, 2021, 01:51:41 PM »
Don't know if you saw this, but the Jackboots in Iowa just went Constitutional Carry.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/546399-iowa-governor-signs-bill-allowing-permitless-purchase-carry-of-handguns

and part of the population is scared (or skward*)

* We have an expression in some parts of the that state that is: "I was so scared, I was scared with a k."
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zxcvbob

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #14 on: April 06, 2021, 03:43:51 PM »
and part of the population is scared (or skward*)

* We have an expression in some parts of the that state that is: "I was so scared, I was scared with a k."


Skeer'd =)
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charby

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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #16 on: April 06, 2021, 06:22:09 PM »
Don't know if you saw this, but the Jackboots in Iowa just went Constitutional Carry.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/546399-iowa-governor-signs-bill-allowing-permitless-purchase-carry-of-handguns

Are the streets running red with blood yet? That's always the expected result from passing constitutional carry. It's never the actual result but the hoplophobes always scream "the streets will run red with blood now!!11!!" anytime a more permissive gun law is passed.

 [ar15] [ar15] [ar15] [ar15]
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Samuel Adams

charby

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Re: Iowa, trying to out jackboot the rest of the states.
« Reply #17 on: April 06, 2021, 06:37:42 PM »
Are the streets running red with blood yet? That's always the expected result from passing constitutional carry. It's never the actual result but the hoplophobes always scream "the streets will run red with blood now!!11!!" anytime a more permissive gun law is passed.

 [ar15] [ar15] [ar15] [ar15]

It's not July 1 yet
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