Chief Copeland’s Lights-Out Crackdown
Eight Kennewick drivers face fines after a police sweep targets vehicles missing required tail lights.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In keeping with the tendency of the times which is running strong to 'drives,' Chief of Police Copeland drove in on all automobile owners whose cars appeared on the streets Tuesday night without tail lights. The drive netted eight auto drivers who appeared in Justice Staser’s court yesterday afternoon and paid one dollar fines and costs, mounting to seven dollars per head. Those whose light failed to shine are: Earle Johnson, M. N. Hudnall, E. H. Mann, C. Given, M. D. Tewalt, C. W. Bush, W. C. Washburn and A. L. Nelson. Chief Copeland says he has repeatedly notified automobile owners of the provisions of the automobile ordinance and has warned violators but that his warnings have been unheeded.
“The drive netted eight auto drivers who appeared in Justice Staser’s court yesterday afternoon and paid one dollar fines and costs.”
Police 'drives' or sweeps were common in early 20th-century municipal governance to enforce traffic safety. The fine, adjusted for inflation, would be a substantial penalty for a minor equipment violation today.
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