highway patrol

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No, Missouri, the Joker Isn't on the Loose

Highway patrol accidentally sends out a fake alert

(Newser) - This week, people in Missouri got an emergency alert on their phones about a suspicious vehicle with the license plate "UKIDME." The message that buzzed on their phones read: “GOTHAM CITY MO PURPLE/GREEN 1978 DODGE 3700 GT MO UKIDME," per Fox News . There is no Gotham...

Utah Cop Pulls Over Driver Headed to Calif. He Was 5

Adrian's ride was a Dodge Journey

(Newser) - A 5-year-old hoping to make it to California came up short Monday when he was caught driving on a Utah interstate. Utah Highway Patrol trooper Rick Morgan noticed a car swerving so badly on Interstate 15 in Ogden that he expected to find a person needing medical attention, per CBS...

Highway Patrol Takes Over From Police in Ferguson

Official in charge is Ferguson native, tells officers to leave behind tear-gas masks

(Newser) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon promised police tactics would change in Ferguson, Mo., and they did this afternoon: The Missouri Highway Patrol took control, stripping local police of their law-enforcement authority after four days of clashes between officers in riot gear and crowds protesting the death of Michael Brown . After a...

Utah Trooper Punches Woman During Traffic Stop

Sgt. Andrew Davenport is on paid leave while incident is investigated

(Newser) - A highway patrol trooper is on paid leave after a video emerged of him punching a woman during a traffic stop, CNN reports. Darla Wright, 53, allegedly refused to stop when officers attempted to pull her over for speeding; after a chase, authorities trapped her car between two vehicles. Sgt....

Utah Highway Crosses Violate Constitution: Court

'Massive' crosses violate separation of church, state

(Newser) - Erecting roadside crosses for fallen members of Utah's Highway Patrol is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court has decided. The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals, addressing a lawsuit launched by an atheist group, said the memorials—which typically stand twelve feet high and include photographs and biographical information—constitute government...

Ticket-Crazed Virginia Hands Out 6,996 in One Weekend
Ticket-Crazed Virginia Hands Out 6,996 in One Weekend
cha-ching dept
Mar 11, 2010 9:12 AM CST

Ticket-Crazed Virginia Hands Out 6,996 in One Weekend

States across the nation look to motorists as a way to fix budget gaps

(Newser) - In the olden days, cops handed out traffic tickets to keep us safe; in our brave, new, cash-strapped world, states and municipalities are pushing police to hand out as many as possible—for the money they bring in. Just look at Virginia, where last weekend police wrote 6,996 tickets...

Theft Spree Hits Tractor Trailers

Number of rigs that went missing spikes 67%

(Newser) - Police around the country are reporting big spikes in thefts of cargo-laden tractor trailers along the nation’s highways. Last year some 859 rigs went missing, loaded with $487 million worth of goods—a 67% increase from 2008. “In the past two months, we’ve just seen such an...

Texas Cops Accused of Racist Highway Robbery

Black motorists given the choice of handing over property or facing felony charges

(Newser) - Cops in a small Texas town are accused of seizing the property of innocent black motorists to pad their salaries, the Chicago Tribune reports. A federal lawsuit alleges that Tehana police have abused the state's asset-forfeiture law—intended to penalize drug-runners—to extort money and other valuables from out-of-town drivers...

Freeway Shootings Rattle Los Angeles

Cops say troubling spate of firings is random violence

(Newser) - A string of freeway shootings in Los Angeles County is causing more jitters than usual on its jam-packed arteries, the Los Angles Times reports. Windows of six cars were shot out by a mystery sniper wielding a BB gun yesterday, the day after a driver died from a possibly self-inflicted...

Feds Probe SC Highway Cops for Bias
Feds Probe
SC Highway Cops for Bias
Mar 21, 2008 1:16 PM CDT

Feds Probe SC Highway Cops for Bias

Dash videos reveal racial slurs, cars ramming suspects

(Newser) - Dash-cam videos that show the South Carolina Highway Patrol ramming black suspects with patrol cars and using racial slurs have triggered a federal probe, the State reports. In one of the five incidents, a trooper sent a suspect flying with his cruiser and then told a fellow officer, "Yeah,...

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