Opinion ID: 1822625
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Procedure for Traffic Infraction

Text: The procedure for handling traffic infractions is contained in Ala.Code 1975, §§ 12-12-50 through 12-12-55, which provide, as follows: 12-12-50. `Traffic infraction' defined. A `traffic infraction' is any violation of a statute, ordinance or regulation relating to the operation or use of motor or other vehicles or the use of streets and highways by pedestrians. 12-12-51. District court jurisdiction of misdemeanor prosecutions for traffic infractions. The district court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction of misdemeanor prosecutions for traffic infractions, except ordinance infractions prosecuted in municipal courts. 12-12-52. Receipt of guilty pleas in traffic infraction prosecutions by magistrates. Pursuant to the provisions of section 12-17-251, magistrates may receive pleas of guilty in traffic infraction prosecutions, but may not receive pleas in matters involving: (1) Violations resulting in personal injury; (2) Operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated; (3) Reckless driving; (4) Felonies or indictable offenses; (5) Operation of motor vehicles without an operator's license or while the license is suspended or revoked; or (6) A defendant convicted of two or more previous traffic offenses in the preceding 12 months. 12-12-53. Requirement of use of uniform traffic ticket and complaint. (a) Every law enforcement agency in the state shall use traffic citations of the form known as the uniform traffic ticket and complaint, which shall be substantially uniform throughout the state and which shall be issued in books with citations in no less than quadruplicate. (b) The uniform traffic ticket and complaint shall be used in traffic cases where a complaint is made by a law enforcement officer or by any other person or an information is filed by the district attorney. 12-12-54. Designation of personnel responsible for accounting for uniform traffic tickets and complaints and proper disposition of forms; requirement of preparation of records and reports pertaining to uniform traffic tickets and complaints. The judge or judges and the clerk of the district court shall designate personnel to be responsible for accounting for all uniform traffic tickets and complaints issued to law enforcement officers or others in his or their jurisdiction and for the proper disposition of the forms and shall cause to be prepared records and reports relating to the uniform traffic tickets and complaints in the manner and at the time as may be prescribed by rule of the supreme court. 12-12-55. Establishment of schedules of fines for traffic infractions; provision for manner of payment and accounting for of fines and costs. Schedules of fines to be imposed for traffic infractions shall be established by law or rule. The manner in which fines and costs shall be paid to and accounted for by personnel assigned to accept payment shall be provided by administrative rule. As is readily apparent, § 12-12-53 requires that every law enforcement agency use the uniform traffic ticket and complaint, which shall be substantially uniform throughout the state and which shall be issued in books with citations in no less than quadruplicate. (Emphasis added.) Pursuant to this legislative provision, which requires the use of the uniform traffic ticket and complaint, this Court, under its rule-making power, [13] adopted Rule 19, Rules of Judicial Administration, effective April 1, 1977, which, among other things, sets out the actual content of the Uniform Traffic Ticket and Complaint. This form, of course, does include a space for a magistrate's verification, [14] and I make no point of that except to say that I believe the legislature could authorize the commencement of any misdemeanor case by an unverified complaint; therefore, I would have to disagree with any holding that every criminal proceeding must be begun by a verified complaint. I need not discuss that issue in great detail, however, except to say I think that the legislature could authorize the prosecution of violations of the traffic laws by use of a citation. [15] Because of the strict requirements of the law for accountability for each ticket issued to a law enforcement agency, [16] there is little chance that an accused will not know what he or she is charged with and the name of the complaining law enforcement officer, because the traffic citation is given to the motorist at the time of the arrest by the law enforcement officer making the arrest.