AJC reporter Andria Simmons recently documented how some local governments in Georgia are reaping huge rewards from traffic enforcement. Several metro Atlanta cities are collecting hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars per year — and many times more than the state average for per capita revenue. In today’s pro/con, the head of a police chiefs organization argues with the AJC’s methodology and focus, while a drivers’ advocate criticizes the speed traps that he says prey on motorists and give police opportunities to shake down citizens through questionable vehicle searches.

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Voting rights activists gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, early Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, as the justices prepare to take up a major Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement. (Cliff Owen/AP)

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)