Police Write Tickets to Build New Buildings

Here in Detroit, a recent audit by the Detroit News turned up more evidence that we are descending into a police state- in this case, the News found out that police are being forced to write tickets in order to fund their operations. This could be a good thing- self-sufficient government and all that libertarian stuff- but I think it is a bad thing- there is more and more pressure on officials to enforce every law without regard to fairness and justice, just to make a buck.

This line in the article in particular bothers me:

The attempt to have Shelby (Township Police) officers write more tickets is likely tied to a proposed $23 million police and court complex.

So, police buy themselves new palaces from which to dispense justice, and pay for it by ticketing citizens- and if enough citizens aren't breaking the law, what then? Is there pressure then for them to accuse citizens of breaking the law even if they aren't, just to raise money? Yes, there is. Is there pressure for them to make more things illegal, just so more tickets can be issued, to raise more money? Yes there is. I don't like this quota policy- and either did voters of Michigan when they outlawed it in 1979.