American Notes TEXAS

Still reeling from the oil bust, financially strapped Texas cities are tapping revenue from a lucrative but neglected source: unpaid traffic tickets. Houston may reap more than $1 million this year by using the "Denver Boot," a device that immobilizes cars whose owners have three or more delinquent tickets. In Dallas the payment of nearly 140,000 fines could bring $18 million to its coffers, and a telecomputer is dunning scofflaws at a rate of 150 calls an hour.

The Texas sweep cuts a wide swath. Earlier this month, in a roundup of 80 motorists, San Antonio police nabbed George Cisneros, a brother of Mayor Henry Cisneros. They took him downtown to cough up the $62.50 he failed to pay for running a red light last November. Said the mayor: "I think his number came up on a computer. I hope he pays his tickets from now on, my dear brother."