Sheriff says MS texting and driving ban isn’t working
“Nobody’s writing these tickets,” said Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell. “Or if they are, there are not very many.”
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has never written a ticket for texting and driving. Hancock County has given out one ticket. However, Harrison County has given out 25….
…Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson had this to say about the law:
“Based on the new law, the “burden of proof” falls on enforcement to prove. For example, if we were to ask a driver after stopping them for texting and driving to see their phone and they told us no, the officer would only have two choices to further the case. Either secure the driver and phone for a search warrant to collect the evidence needed or get a court order to retrieve that persons texting information for that particular time and date. Both choices would cost taxpayers. An abundance of law enforcement time and taxpayer money for records retrieval. This all goes back to burden of proof.”
WLOX
5/14/16
Magnolia Tribune
