America’s third-worst small-town speed trap disbanded its police department Wednesday.
The disbandment of Waldo’s police force comes after an investigation launched last month addressed claims its officers were under a strict ticket-writing quota, which is illegal.
Waldo’s City Council voted for the disbandment Tuesday, and it went into effect at midnight.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office will now handle all the city’s law enforcement services through a contract both Sheriff Sadie Darnell and the city of Waldo agreed to.
The disbandment left seven officers – who are on paid administrative leave until Oct. 31 – without a job, a release said.
When the ticket quota investigation began at the beginning of September, Waldo’s chief of police and the interim chief of police resigned. The five remaining officers brought forth information regarding the potential ticket quota, acting captain Steve Maynard said.
Maynard, whose contract expires Friday at 5 p.m., has been the interim police chief for the past 30 days. Because Maynard works for Alachua County, he said he has arrest powers in Waldo. But as soon as he steps over county lines, he is considered a civilian.
“I can still arrest, write tickets and the whole nine yards within that county line,” he said.
Though a ticket quota is illegal, Maynard said the tickets Waldo police officers wrote were valid.
“People are getting upset and saying it’s a speed trap, but the speed trap can’t be blamed on speed limits,” he said. “That isn’t in their authority.”
The Department of Transportation is responsible for the sudden change in speeds between Gainesville and Jacksonville, Maynard said, which can shift anywhere from 65 mph to 55 mph to 45 mph and back again along U.S. Highway 301.
“It’s my job to enforce the law that is posted,” Maynard said. “The issue of a quota is a separate matter altogether.”
Small-town police departments generate funding through civil fine revenue. Larger police departments – like Gainesville Police – are funded through taxes.
“The reality of it is without civil fine revenue, small-town police departments will cease to exist.” Maynard said. “More than anything, it really is a funding issue. The officers knew if they didn’t write the tickets, they don’t have a job.”
But ticket quotas are unethical, Maynard said.
“Quotas have long since been frowned upon,” he said. “That is clearly wrong and unethical, if not illegal.”
The ticket quota investigation is ongoing.
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 10/2/2014]
