In Montreal, Canada, the same guy who gave you a ticket was the one to call to get you out of one. Until this week, Alfredo Munoz, 40, had been both a police sergeant and the owner of SOS Ticket, a firm that defends against traffic tickets for a fee. An internal police inquiry determined that this represented a conflict of interest and the department suspended him without pay.

Munoz's side business employed two lawyers to offer advice on beating tickets. He charges, for example, CAD $190 for help on a citation that threatens to put two points on his client's driving license. The Montreal police investigation found that much of this advice was based on what Munoz knew as an active duty police officer.

"How can you be a police officer who supervises other police officers, who may at times give out tickets, and at the same time have a company where you give advice to people about contesting these tickets?" Montreal Police Inspector Paul Chablo told the Montreal Gazette newspaper.