CPD Sponsoring Ordinance To Hear Some Citations Locally

The Cookeville City Council will consider changing the city code Thursday to allow some traffic citations be heard in city court.

The Cookeville Police Department is sponsoring the ordinance. Police Chief Randy Evans said state statute allows for vehicle equipment citations to be handled locally, but the city code has not been adopted to do so.

“And it covers lighting regulations and safety belts and child restraint. Things of that nature,” Evans said. “So, it is just an opportunity or an effort to instead of officers having to go to state court to sign into state court and appear in state court under these charges, we can just write them into our city court.”

Evans said not only would this save time for officers, but also for those who receive citations. The entirety of State Annotated Code Title 55 Chapter 9 is included in the ordinance. Evans said the council in past approved to do same thing for the Rules of the Road code chapter.

“So, if we right a citation for a stop sign, and we also observe a violation that is in chapter nine, where the stop sign violation may be in chapter eight,” Evan said. “(…) So, that would require the officer to go to two different courts.”

Evans said both citations could be handled in a single court date. A public hearing over the matter will be held during Thursday’s City Council meeting.