Patton Wants to Shut Down Linndale's Speed Trap
New legislation would take mayor's court out of tiny village
State Sen. Tom Patton, R-Strongsville, has been trying for several years to get Linndale police off I-71. The village is known for patroling a short stretch of the interstate in an aggressive enforcement effort many call a speed trap. A new measure might do the trick, Patton says. His initiative would increase the minimum population a community must have to operate a mayor's court. “This bill doesn’t eliminate mayor’s courts -- it weeds out the ones who abuse their power for financial gain," Patton said. Patton said Linndale gets more than 80 percent of its annual operating budget from citations. The village has only 179 residents and spans five city blocks, but its Mayor's Court processed nearly 5,000 cases in 2010. It's not Patton's …
