WALB Investigates two towns some refer to as ‘speed traps’

WORTH COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - Data shows more people are fined per capita in Warwick and Poulan for traffic citations than in most other cities in the state.

“It’s hard to make the money at a certain time. You already have bills going on at home,” Tamia Jackson, a driver who received a ticket, said.

“They’re told when they get to court that their fines are going to be $300, or $400, or $500 or $1000,” Sean Black, traffic criminal defense lawyer, said. “Then they’ll say, well, I can’t pay it all right now. Well, the solution to that is more often than not the person gets put on probation.”

Probation can cost up to $50 per month.

“So, it all adds up,” Black said.

In 2022, Poulan’s Police Department generated about $500 in funds for each resident if you calculate per capita. In Warwick, it was nearly $1,000 per resident. That’s compared to the state average of just over $100 per Georgia resident, according to the AJC.

“We’ve got several state routes to go through here. I don’t think they could go per capita. We have people from all over the state of Georgia and from out of the state traveling through here every day,” Worth County Sheriff Don Whitaker said.

According to open records, both departments generated more income than they cost in 2022.

“I think that in general when your purpose is just to see the public safety and that kind of thing, that that’s a that is a public function of government that most people don’t expect them to recoup all of the costs,” Black said.

So, the question we get from viewers is: Are Warwick and Poulan speed traps?

“If the revenue from speeding tickets (less the ones that are over 20 mph) make up more than 35% of the police department’s budget, then there’s a presumption that they’re misusing the radar and laser,” Black said.

Neither town would provide us with documents showing the amount of money generated from speeding tickets alone, because they don’t have to under the law. When asked directly if the departments meet that 35% threshold, Poulan police declined to comment.

Warwick’s police chief sent WALB this statement:

“The short answer will be no and that there are laws that are established to prevent this. Most of these can be found in in the O.C.G.A Title 40, Chapter 14. To date the Warwick Police Department has never been suspended for any of these violations, nor its officers.”

“We’re no different here than anywhere else, Tifton, Albany traffic laws, traffic law and people a lot of times you’re just going to drive and not pay attention or driving, not pay attention to the speed limit,” Whitaker said.

The state would not launch an investigation into either city department unless a formal complaint is filed through the Commissioner of Public Safety’s Office. A former Warwick police chief was fired in 2014 on allegations of establishing a traffic ticket quota for officers, and for stacking fines.

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