No more uncontested traffic tickets will be reported in newspaper

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, how traffic tickets were reported by this newspaper will change as Daviess County Circuit Court must begin using the Fine Collection Center (FCC). This article will provide an overview of this new procedure.

In 1996 the Missouri General Assembly authorized the creation of a uniform, state-wide procedure for processing uncontested traffic matters. Thereafter, the Missouri Supreme Court created the Fine Collection Center (FCC) and located it in Jefferson City.

Since that time an ever-increasing percentage of counties throughout the State have voluntarily agreed to participate in this traffic ticket collection/payment process. In mid-2011 the Supreme Court ordered that all remaining counties must use the FCC beginning 1/1/2012. This order thus requires Daviess County to participate.

The FCC only processes uncontested traffic matters such as speeding, failing to register, stop sign, etc. Certain offenses are excluded from the FCC’s scope either by statute or policy, including any violation resulting in an accident or personal injury, operating a motor vehicle or watercraft while intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicants or drugs, or any other alcohol or drug related offenses, operating a vehicle with a counterfeited, altered, suspended or revoked license, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, speeding offenses of more than 25 mph over the posted limit, violations of Chapter 303, RSMo. including failure to provide proof of motor vehicle liability insurance, and Chapter 142, RSMo. regarding the Motor Fuel Tax. There is no change in how the monies collected by the FCC are distributed to the counties and school districts.

Once a member of the Highway Patrol or sheriff’s department issues a summons (commonly known as a traffic ticket) to the driver, the ticket is then electronically transferred to the FCC. Within 30 days the driver may pay the ticket amount in full over the phone by credit card, or mail-in or walk-in with a personal check or money order/cashier’s check.

As nothing is signed by a prosecuting attorney or filed with the circuit clerk’s office for those cases that are processed by the FCC, there will be no local records on which this newspaper can report. Therefore, there will be far fewer traffic cases reported than are actually being issued and processed.

If the driver fails to pay or notify the FCC that they wish to plead not guilty within 30 days, the FCC will send a delinquency notice informing him/her that their operator’s license may be suspended by the Director of Revenue. If the driver returns the not guilty form to contest the ticket, the FCC will then send the ticket to the prosecuting attorney in the county where it was issued.

At this point the ticket is handled as they always have been. A prosecutor will decide whether to sign and file the ticket with the court for disposition – either a trial or an amendment by the prosecuting attorney. This disposition is a public record and will be available for newspapers to publish. Therefore, most of what is reported in the newspapers will be amendments of speeding tickets to no-point violations made by the prosecuting attorney.

The FCC removes much of the local control the circuit court had to grant additional time for the driver to pay or decide what to do. It more importantly places very specific time constraints on the driver who receives a ticket to act.

If you receive a ticket that will be processed by the FCC, or have additional questions after reading this article you may call my office at (660) 663-2932 or the FCC at (877) 866-3926.