To ticket or not to ticket?

Car accidents are one of the most harrowing experiences you can have. Loved ones can be injured, cars can be totaled and it can all be made worse when a ticket is handed out, indicating you’ve been found at fault.

The Marquette Police tell us they try not to make situations worse when car crashes and accidents occur. They say they avoid issuing tickets on top of tragedy, but in some cases it is necessary.

“You look at the whole situation,” Marquette Police Sgt. Ryan Grim said. “If they are a problem speeder then, of course, you are going to give them a ticket because the prior tickets and warnings have not worked and what you are trying to do is correct the behavior.”

The law allows each officer to use his discretion when issuing tickets for accidents as well as speeding. And fellow officers aren’t exempt; police say they get the same treatment as citizens.

“We all make mistakes, and we have to be held accountable for them,” Sgt. Grim said. “I try to keep an open mind going into the investigation, look at all the circumstances surrounding the event, do the best investigation you can and, at that point, you make your determination.”

Despite rumors, Grim says they do not have ticket quotas that need to be met.