No one likes getting pulled over and nobody likes getting a ticket. Let's face it, it sucks.  However, let's be honest.....sometimes they're given to us because we, y'know, did something ticketable. .

Get our free mobile app

Not too long ago I found myself wondering just what kind of tickets Amarillo police write people on a daily basis. That's why I thought it would be interesting to find out how many citations are handed out yearly and how what were the top citations each year.

We reached out to Sgt. Carla Burr at the Amarillo Police Department asked that question. She seemed interested by the question and told us she'd be back in touch. After a few days with. no follow up, we assumed she had gotten sidetracked with the many many things that could be happening at the police department.

Imagine what a nice surprise it was when we saw her name pop into our inbox! Turns out, she went the extra mile. She and Amarillo Police Department's crime analysts ran the data for us and put together the results.

Shout out to Sgt. Carla Burr and the crime analysts for APD! They're awesome and truly went above and beyond on the simplest question we asked.  

Most Common Citations Given By APD: The Results

It turns out that speeding is what APD officers cite the most.

I figured it would be interesting to see the results from 2019 through this year, so that's the time frame I gave. Here are the full results:

Burr, Carla
Burr, Carla
loading...

#1 Reason For Ticket: Speeding

Now, I know that no one is surprised by the fact that speeding tickets are the most common citations, but I was surprised to see that it shows a downward trend. 

There were 10,070 speeding tickets handed out in 2019 compared to 8,073 in 2021. The number is even lower this year, but 2022 ain't over yet so we'll circle back later.

#2 Reason For Ticket: Parking

Oh yes, I can believe that parking tickets come in the #2 spot. I'm pretty sure that I might count for one or two of those numbers. And yes, I deserved them. Wasn't happy about them, but I had it coming.

Parking Ticket
Credit: Allan Pospisil
loading...

#3 Reason For Ticket: No Insurance

This one was interesting. I expected this spot to be something closer to "no seatbelt" or "expired tags". But here we go, Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility is the third most common citation.

It's kind of a vicious cycle, isn't it? Car insurance can be very expensive, but so is the ticket (and it's penalties for insurance policies). But there you go.

Overall, I was very surprised to see that the amount of tickets written by Amarillo Police has actually decreased somewhat over time. I hear people complain about APD doing nothing but writing tickets, and the numbers say otherwise.

Should they continue to write fewer tickets? Or do we need to lay down the law and have them write more? Think about it and feel free to discuss.

 

Wild, Weird, & Outright Odd Crimes of the Texas Panhandle in 2022

There's some strange things that happen here in the Texas Panhandle. And we do mean strange.

If you need a few examples....keep scrollin' to see some of the wild, weird, and flat out odd things that our local hellions have gotten themselves into this year....so far.

The Biggest Drug Busts in the Texas Panhandle for 2022....So Far

Amarillo can be a rowdy place with some lawless characters. Here's some of the biggest drug busts made in the Texas Panhandle for 2022, so far.

Let's just say that these folks are in t-r-o-u-b-l-e.

Note from editor: An indictment is not a conviction. All individuals shown below who have not appeared in court for a judgement are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Unsolved Murders of Amarillo, Texas

These are the unsolved murders of Amarillo, Texas.

If you have any information or if you know something, call Amarillo Crime Stoppers at 806-374-4400. 

More From 101.9 The Bull