Some drivers in northern New Jersey say police from five towns in the area are encroaching on state turf by handing out tickets along Route 287.

Bob Bregman, of Ringwood, thinks too many local police officers are patrolling the highway these days.

"I could see 30 cops by the time I get into Bergen County," Bregman says, ?and they're all out to get you."

State police say, however, they do not oppose ticketing along Route 287 by local authorities, who are permitted to enforce the law on state territory. The only two roads that remain off limits for them are the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.

The financial benefits from handing out fines along the state highway have proven to be significant. Police from Riverdale, Bloomingdale, Oakland, Mahwah and Pequannock brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in ticket revenue in the last year alone.

The Department of Transportation says if a municipal officer writes a ticket on a state highway, the town gets the money from the court costs and half of the sum from the fine itself. The other half goes to the county.

But although ticketing along Route 287 eases the burden on local taxpayers, some drivers say it is still wrong.

?I think if it's a state road, the state should take responsibility for it,? says Anthony Bencivenga, of Fairfield. Lorraine Menonna, however, says she welcomes the stepped-up patrols along the road she considers dangerous.

"People tend to go very fast," she says. "It's nice when you see a police officer there. It sort of slows people down."