Marilyn Monroe - Police Officer's Star-studded Autograph Collection Heading To Auction

A collection of signed photographs of stars including Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin, obtained by a traffic cop in lieu of speeding tickets, is set to go under the hammer in Los Angeles.

Motorcycle officer Roy Garrett let a string of superstars off for speeding and jumping red lights in Beverly Hills, California in the 1950s and '60s in exchange for a personally signed photo.

Now his extensive collection, which features legends includes Monroe, Martin, James Stewart and Greta Garbo, will go up for sale at an auction in Beverly Hills on 24 July (12).

The Monroe snap, which is expected to raise $32,000 (20,000), includes the line, "To Roy, love and kisses. Thanks for keeping me out of the clink."

Heritage Auctions representative Margaret Barrett says, "Officer Garrett had a good gig going. He made no secret of letting stars off a ticket in return for a signed photo. The Marilyn Monroe one is a real gem - she only signed photos for people she knew and not random strangers. It was all quite innocent but in any case, he died about 15 years ago so isn't going to get busted for it now."