Busy Writing Tickets: Kaplan Police have issued close to 500 tickets in 4 weeks

KAPLAN - Over the past month, the Kaplan Police Department has been hard at work issuing tickets to drivers.
How hard at work?
Over the last four weeks, the Kaplan police have issued nearly 500 tickets. The tickets written range from speeding, window tint being too dark, texting while driving, running a stop sign, burnt-out taillights, and not turning on their signal when turning.
But the most popular ticket issued over the last four weeks is speeding.
A total of 223 speeding tickets have been issued, along with 40 stop sign violations and 28 citations for illegal tint. Five drivers have been issued citations for texting while driving. 
The fine for receiving a speeding ticket 10 miles over the speed limit is $189 and for 15 miles over, it is $195.
In June, the Maurice Police Department issued 68 speeding tickets, while the Erath Police Department issued 34 — the two towns combined for 102 speeding tickets in a month. Kaplan issued 126 in the last two weeks.
It is also not uncommon in Kaplan for one stop to result in multiple violations.
 One driver was cited for speeding and also received a window tint violation, along with a careless operation of a vehicle ticket. 
Another driver was issued a speeding ticket. Additionally, the driver’s license was not on the person, there was no proof of insurance, and no registration information was present. That traffic stop could cost the driver just under $1,000 worth of fines.
A 19-year-old was recently stopped in Kaplan for not having a functioning headlight and then received tickets for an expired motor vehicle inspection sticker, unlawful sale, purchase, or possession of tobacco, and illegal tint.
The penalty for illegal window tinting is $219, while running a stop sign will cost you $190. The priciest ticket, however, is for not having car insurance, which amounts to $500, in addition to court fees.
Kaplan Police Chief Josh Hardy said the police department has received complaints about speeders on Veterans Memorial Drive (Hwy. 14) and other streets with long, straightaways, such as Herpin Street and Eighth Street.
His officers did not realize there was an excess of speeders and other traffic violators until the department participated in the “Click It or Ticket” campaign in May. The officers were on the lookout for drivers who were not wearing their seat belts, but then also began stopping speeders.
“We have had a lot of speeders, which has surprised the officers,” he said.
One of the officers stopped a vehicle traveling 56 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.  Every street in Kaplan that is not a state highway  or in a school zone has a speed limit of 20 or 25 miles per hour.
Hwy. 14, which runs through Kaplan, has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour. 
“We have always gotten complaints of drivers speeding, window tint, and people running red lights,” said Hardy. “Many are worried that a child is going to be hurt because of the careless drivers. We went to the areas where we received complaints and began enforcing the speeding laws.”
Helping catch speeders is a new radar system called a “LIDAR,” which stands for “Light Detection and Ranging.” It works by emitting laser pulses and measuring the time it takes for them to return, calculating the speed based on the distance traveled over time.
Chief Hardy stated that LIDAR is more accurate in determining the speed of a vehicle.
The chief said he has received a few phone calls from upset drivers who were issued tickets for speeding.  He explained that officers usually do not issue speeding tickets unless the driver is traveling 10 miles per hour above the speed limit.
“The Kaplan police department is not writing tickets to make money for the department,” he said.  “The department receives very little from each ticket. “The department is fulfilling its responsibility: enforcing the law.”