Evening star., 1927-03-31
CONSTABLE CAUGHT
IN AUTO TRAP Tolls
A. A. A. Investigators Cause
Arrest and Fining of
Two in RiverdaIe.

Two speed trap" investigations Of
the A. A. A. invaded Riverdale, Nd,
last night and sprung a trap Of their
own manufacture. It's teeth caught
Constable e. r. Greer, nemesis OF
speedsters. for IS fine on charges Of
operating an automobile with one
light, and John Rickard, who some
times drives Greer's pursuit car, on
charges Of operating that car without
ia permit and also for driving that car
with one light. Rickard was fined SIS
and costs, all told.
Today Riverdale police and judicial
circles are incensed. Riverdale au-
thorities have regarded themselves as
the most lenient in the State. The
speeding fines have run generally to
the minimum, they say. Often IS for
a speeding case involving SO or 90
miles an hour Is assessed.
Called "Unwarranted Intrusion"
But the milk of human kindness has
been curdled in judicial quarters by
what liz termed by Judge r. 8. AL.
bridge ian unwarranted intrusion" :"
SO that hereafter the maximum In
stead of the minimum fine Is going to
teach law infractors that encroach-
ments will not be tolerated by River
dale Township.
1t all happened thus: Attorney c. c.
Collins of the A. A. A. and T. r.
Behler, representative of the same or,
ganization, having received numerous
complaints about speed cases In River.
dale, journeyed out there last night
to observe conditions. They were la
boring under the belief that speed
trap was in operation. Their infor-
nation was that this speed trap oper.
ated so well from 10 pm. to am.
that the justice Of the peace's office
at the side of the road was fairly
populous but unpopular place almost
nightly.
Have Two Men Arrested.
They reached Riverdale at 1918.
They waited around the j. p. Office
until what they termed an "old, de-
lanidated" automobile drove up and
deposited two of its five occupants
there. The machine then went on up
the road outside of Riverdale and the
investigators followed 1t.
A short time later the observers saw
an arrest made farther down the road
and then noted that the pursuit car
burned but one headlight. While
things were being fixed up In the Office
of the justice OF the peace. Mr.. Collins
and Mr.. Behler came across two State
policemen. They demanded the arrest
Of Richard, the driver OF the pursuit
car. on the one-headlight charge. This
was done. Judge Aldridge fined Rick.
ard SIS and costs In the case. An
other warrant was sworn for Rickard
on a charge of driving without a
permit, and this cost him $40 and
costs.
Then Mr.. Greer, the owner Of the
machine. who contends that during
this whole procedure he was having a
nap on a cot In an Office adjoining
that of Judge Aldridge, was hailed be-
fore the court and also charged with
driving this car earlier in the evening
with one headlight. He, too, was fined
| SIS and costs.
Owner Proud OF Pursuit Car.
AS to charges that the pursuit car
is old and dilapidated. and not At for
| use as a pacing vehicle in making
speed cases, Mr.. Greer proudly points
| to a record where the car pursued
and caught another machine whose
driver admitted 72-mile per hour
! infraction Of the speed law. The
rusty appearance OF the automobile
F, is explained as due to the dusty roads
over which 1t travels. 1t can travel
st despite its four-cylinder limita'
ton, Mr.. Greer declares. and this
fact also can be attested to by many
of those arrested In the vicinity or
speed charges.
Judge Aldridge takes the matte,
! seriously.
| i've been one Of the most lenient
| justices in this State up to this time,
he said today. IT'S always been the
| minimum sentence with me. Folks
can't complain that haven't treated
them fairly. But from now on it's
going TO be a maximum fine and
strict procedure. Well be fair. but
we think that the motorists will And
the A. A. A. has done more harm
than good in this case. 1t has turned
| a mild attitude into a stern one"