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Linndale police have a long history of watching for speeders. In this file photo, a cruiser sits alongside southwest bound I-71 underneath the Memphis Avenue overpass.

(Scott Shaw, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

Are some of our police agencies resorting to more speeding traps?

And is running radar and issuing traffic tickets the best use of a police officer’s time?

Some of our readers complained last week about an Ohio Highway Patrol crackdown on aggressive driving, suggesting that the motivation was to raise money rather than improve safety.

In the coming weeks, the Northeast Ohio Media Group will try to answer those questions with more than anecdotal evidence by looking into which police departments issue the most traffic tickets per capita.

But we need your help.

Where you have seen the most speed traps, and which communities seem to put the most emphasis on catching speeders? What communities do you think make the most money from traffic tickets?

We're not looking at traffic enforcement into red light cameras, at least not for this series.

Authorities argue that speeding and other traffic violations are a public safety issue. When motorists are encouraged to drive below the speed limit, the argument goes, roads are safer.

Tickets are also a huge money-maker for some communities.

Linndale, which has population of less than 200 and a reputation as a being unfriendly to motorists, financed $800,000 of its $1 million budget through traffic citations in 2011.

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