Carol from Groves asks: Officer Antoine, I’ve been in this area for a year now and I must say that I’m learning so much I either have forgotten or never knew before. But now I have a reference point to driving laws in Texas every week. I just love this article in The News every Tuesday, I find myself turning to your “Ask A Cop” article before reading anything else! My friends were discussing you giving so many tickets to drivers and we wanted to know if you don’t mind sharing, how much money do you receive from every ticket you write? This question came up because a couple of the ladies have seen you pull someone over in your Police car, but you were dressed in shorts and regular shirt giving someone a ticket. So we all have heard about officers receiving bonuses for writing many tickets, so I’ve decided why should I guess when I can “Ask A Cop!”

Answer: Good question, Carol! Actually, Carol, I’m not too private or proud to notify you and the public how much money I receive per citation I issue. The answer is -0- ZERO dollars and -0- CENTS is awarded to me for each and every citation I and any other Officer in the state of Texas issues! Many say that the Police have a quota and that’s why you see them so busy at the end of the month or a certain time of year. Not only is that statement hilarious, it’s also false and ILLEGAL to have quotas in Texas that pertain to the issuance of citations. Carol, we don’t receive microwaves, vacations, gift certificates, homes, cars, clothing or anything of the sort for issuing citations. Carol, let me be the first to inform you if we were compensated for issuing citations if you think I issue a lot of citations NOW, you haven’t seen anything yet! Not only would I issue citation in shorts and shirt, I can be in my pajamas and slippers issuing citations if we were compensated. Carol, Police Officers are Police Officers whether they are in a official law enforcement uniform or regular clothing, if you know them to be a Police Officer or they identify themselves as such. So go back to your group and advise them that I, as well as many other Officers, are just working. No Officer at the Port Arthur Police Department or the Port Arthur Police Department itself receives financial compensation from citations issued.

Eddie from Port Arthur asks: Officer Antoine, what is a deferred disposition punishment when you get a ticket and how do you go about getting this deferral? Hope you can help me. Thanks for all you do to educate us and keep our roads safe in spite of what people say about you!

Answer: Good question, Eddie! Thank you, Eddie, and so many other readers and citizens who support POLICE OFFICERS! This is probably one of the most THANKLESS jobs anyone can have, so believe me if you THANK a Police Officer for just putting on a uniform and swearing to protect the citizens we serve, your comments will not go unnoticed and will be greatly received and appreciated. Eddie, if someone receives a citation, they must take care of the citation in the criminal Municipal or Justice of the Peace Court. If your plea is GUILTY or NO CONTEST, there is an option that a Judge can assign to you and that is called DEFERRED DISPOSITION. Eddie, if a judge places you or anyone on Deferred Disposition, you may be ordered to pay a special expense fee and assign you a time frame that you can NOT receive another citation or maybe attend a class. Now Eddie If you successfully complete the conditions ordered by the court, i.e. paying fee and no more citations, the court will NOT allow that citation to be added to your driving record…it goes away! On the other hand, if you don’t complete the conditions ordered by the court, the citation WILL be added to your driving record along with the fine that was originally suspended, which you will be required to pay that as well.

Marie from Bridge City asks: Officer Antoine, I was in the Walmart parking lot recently and I observed a motorcycle parked in a diagonally striped area. It is clear that a car cannot park there, is it permissible for a motorcycle to park there because they fit in the area?

Answer: Good question, Marie! NO, Marie, motorcycles can NOT park there either, that is a striped off area for ALL vehicles and motorcycles. You are not allowed to park a motorcycle in this area. Just because the motorcycle can fit in the stripped area, that area is still off limits for motorcycles.

Retraction from last week — Juan from Port Arthur asks: Officer Antoine, I was in Houston recently and observed something that now I must have an answer to! I was traveling down a three-lane highway and I saw a car in the outside lane and a car in the inside lane both try to merge into the middle lane at the same time. Thankfully there wasn’t a wreck. The driver in the inside lane saw that they were about to hit each other so he swerved back into the inside lane. My question is if they would have had an accident, which car would be at fault? Does a certain lane have the right of way over another when it comes to changing lanes?

Answer: if you are traveling on a roadway with 3 or more lanes traveling in the same direction, an operator entering a lane of traffic from the right shall yield the right of way to a vehicle entering the same lane of traffic from the left. Refer to the Texas Transportation Code 545.061

Join Officer Antoine for Ask A Cop live, on KSAP 96.9 FM The Breeze radio station, every Tuesday for 1 hour from 1p-2p. Tune in and listen as Officer Antoine discusses in detail the newly released “Ask A Cop” article that printed in The News. You can also tune in via internet at www.ksapthebreeze.org < http://www.ksapthebreeze.org/> . Feel free to call in and ask your question live to Officer Antoine at (409) 982-0247. Remember to email your questions to rantoine@portarthurpd.com , or call 409-984-8541 and leave a voice mail question, or mail them to: Ofc. Rickey Antoine, 645 4th Street, Port Arthur, Texas, 77640. If you happen to see me in public you can Ask A Cop!