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JUST ASKING

OK fine, I was speeding 32 mph in a 20 mph zone in front of the tank farm just past Scanlan's gas station. Well like a good citizen I go in to pay my ticket and the clerk tells me to pay $60.00.OK I pay my sala and notice that there are 2 revenue codes listed: 1 for (100-221-4510) $50.00 and 1 for (101-714-4512) $10.00.So I ask the clerk what the other charge was as I was only sighted for speeding.She tells me that the other charge is a Law Enforcement Fee. I ask what the #### is a Law Enforcement Fee? She says thats a fee to enforce the Law.I walk away scratching my head and thinking,there must be some fool sitting in some obscure office in the back of EOB, thinking of how many different ways they can screw the public out of whatever little money they have left after paying their high electricity bills and expensive gas. So I guess I not only got a ticket but I also had to pay him to write it. Talk about adding Insult to injury.My question here is what is a Law Enforcement Fee and does it only apply to Traffic Violations or does it apply across the board to any and all law enforcement services ?SAMOA NEWS ANSWERS:According to our archives, Samoa News reported in August 2010, that Gov. Togiola Tulafono submitted to the Fono for consideration and approval a $120,000 appropriation bill to purchase four new vehicles for the Department of Public Safety, to be used only for police services.According to the proposed measure, the funding source for the four vehicles was the “special law enforcement” account, which is overseen by the court, which collects $10 from every person involved in a traffic violation. Then Police Commissioner Tuaolo Fruean later testified in the Fono that there were sufficient funds in this account for the proposed purchases.So, the fee is only applied to traffic violations, and the money collected by the court is deposited in a separate account for Department of Public Safety purchases, such as their new vehicles.