Beaverton's photo radar discourages speeders, but the police of Niketown, U.S.A. have been done one better by Jericho's finest. Jericho, Arkansas (population 157) is a speed trap. Even though it's lost a police car and a fire truck to the repo man, it manages to support 7 police officers on the strength of its traffic ticket revenue.
On August 27 one of the ticketed, Don Payne, came to court to protest his speeding ticket. Mr. Payne is Jericho's fire chief. His protest didn't go well, and when he went out to his car, he discovered that he'd been ticketed again. He went back to court to complain. All seven officers were present. Things "escalated," in the demure words of the Memphis newspaper (Jericho is 15 miles northwest of Memphis, just across the state line), and one of the seven officers shot Chief Payne. The bullet, in the best Barney Fife fashion, injured not only the fire chief but also one of the other police officers.
Chief Payne is recovering. The police department, on the other hand, has been closed down, and the county would like to know just where all the money from traffic fines has been going. The part-time mayor has no comment.