Judge rules auto speedtrap/redlight cameras

[Racket_Man]

are a scam in a small Ohio town.

http://news.msn.com/us/judge-towns-s...ard-monty-scam

what is really funny is the town has a population of 2200 and issued 6600 tickets in the first month at $105 a ticket. Do the math -- that is almost $700,000 dollars

AND the company that administers the 2 cameras gets a 40% cut of ALL FINES COLLECTED from tickets

And there are no warning signs as per Ohio state law.

And

To challenge the $105 fine, a motorist has to pay $25 for a hearing that is "nothing more than a sham!" the judge wrote. At the hearing, he said, the "witness" for the village testifies from a report produced by the company that owns the speed-monitoring unit. Since the "witness" was not present when the alleged violation occurred, he or she can't be cross-examined,

[HYHYBT]

About time.

[Panacea]

Fact is most small towns finance their police departments with traffic fines.

These kinds of issues with red light cameras, and the fact the yellow light times are often jimmied to pretty much result in an automatic ticket each time the light turns, are turning a lot of governments off on these cameras due to increasing complaints and lawsuits being filed. There are some real constitutional issues that aren't resolved.

They were popular here in North Carolina for awhile, but now are in disfavor because of this crap.

But watch yourself in Delaware on Rt. 113 running north south. There is a small town every seven miles on this strip, each one has its own police force (there are no county sheriff, just the state highway patrol, and they're even worse than the town cops) that is supported by speeding tickets. Speed in those towns and you WILL get ticketed.

[Nyoibo]

I have no problem with red light cameras and speed cameras here, but over here they are a bit more lenient, I know cops tend to give you a fair bit of leeway with the hand held ones and I've never been picked up by a fixed one even doing about 5km over the speed limit, as for red light cameras, they don't start taking pics until about a second or two after the lights go red, they also don't mess with the length of the yellow light.

[MadMike]

Fact is most small towns finance their police departments with traffic fines.

And that's what it's all about -- the money. Not getting people to obey the laws. I realized that awhile back when I read an article about a major construction project. The town of Dauphin is 20 minutes or so from my house, and US 22/322, a fairly busy route, used to run right through town. It was an expressway up until you got into town, and people wouldn't always slow down when the expressway ended. The town had their own police force, which wrote out a lot of speeding tickets, and collected a small fortune that way.

Around 2000 or so, a bypass was built, and US 22/322 no longer went through town. The new bypass was a continuation of the expressway, so the state police controlled it. The Dauphin cops weren't allowed to patrol it. They did not take it well. They began whining about all the money they'd be losing from not being able to write out tickets. That's when I realized it was all about the money. If everyone stopped speeding, they'd still be out all that money.

Funny thing, the residents didn't seem to mind. They were just glad that they could now walk across the street without having to worry about getting run over.

[protege]

And that's what it's all about -- the money. Not getting people to obey the laws. I realized that awhile back when I read an article about a major construction project. The town of Dauphin is 20 minutes or so from my house, and US 22/322, a fairly busy route, used to run right through town. It was an expressway up until you got into town, and people wouldn't always slow down when the expressway ended. The town had their own police force, which wrote out a lot of speeding tickets, and collected a small fortune that way.

It's always about the money. "Catching speeders" is the excuse that is used to justify things.

I got nailed up in Beaver County last year--40mph in a 25mph zone. I'd just exited the highway (I-79) and was on my way up to Conway for some train-watching. Imagine my surprise, when I'm doing the legal 40mph...and I get busted. I'm sitting in my car going Sign I saw said 40, I was doing 40 or maybe a mile over. Turns out that the borough I was in had lowered the limit, and didn't bother changing the signs

In fact, while I was sitting in front of the trooper's car, one of his buddies pulled someone else over. Turns out that because of "complaints" (from who, the 3 people who live there?), they set up a speed trap. At least, even though I got a ticket, the officer was nice enough to lower the charge. Basically, I got cited for running a stop sign. Had to pay the fine, but I didn't get any points.

I know, I could have fought it, but I didn't think the outcome would have been good. Think about it, would I want to have to explain to the magistrate (a prick, from what I understand) that I was actually speeding? Could I have proven that the sign said 40? I have a feeling that if I lost, not only would the citation been amended to speeding, but I'd have been hit with a bigger fine and points. Not worth it, in other words. I paid the $110, and cut my losses.

With that said, I'm totally against speed cameras. How do we know that they've been calibrated correctly? How do we know that some corrupt official hasn't rigged them to trip at the limit? We don't. We have to take their word for it.

[Nyoibo]

One of the reasons I really want to get a dash cam.

[fireheart17]

One of the reasons I really want to get a dash cam.

Dumb question, but they're illegal aren't they?

There was a story down our (Nyoibo/Mine) way recently involving a woman who challenged a red light fine in court. The judge ruled that because you couldn't clearly see that the light was red, the charges could be dropped. (she'd asked for photographic evidence, said evidence was very grainy)

[Rapscallion]

I shouldn't think so. There are no laws stopping you taking ordinary pictures with a camera as if you're in a public place it's fair game for paparazzis etc. I don't see why this should be any different.

I may be wrong. I doubt it.

Rapscallion

[Nyoibo]

Dumb question, but they're illegal aren't they?

There was a story down our (Nyoibo/Mine) way recently involving a woman who challenged a red light fine in court. The judge ruled that because you couldn't clearly see that the light was red, the charges could be dropped. (she'd asked for photographic evidence, said evidence was very grainy)

From what I've found online, nope they're perfectly legal.

My mother did the same thing, got a red light camera fine, asked to see the photo and the fine was dropped.

[s_stabeler]

dash cams are legal. it's radar detectors that aren't legal. so in short, install a dashcam if you want.

[HYHYBT]

Unless things have changed fairly recently, radar detectors are legal in many areas.

Is "it's all about the money" also the reason they sometimes put up "work zone, fines doubled" signs and lay out barrels next to the road weeks or months before work begins and leave them there many weeks or months after work is complete? Because that's not just a nuisance; it puts workers in greater danger when they're actually there.

[Peppergirl]

This is a little 'burg in Cincinnati where I live. Surprises me not. Elmwood Place is SOOO freaking corrupt, this is just the tip of the iceburg.

[Greenday]

dash cams are legal. it's radar detectors that aren't legal. so in short, install a dashcam if you want.

Only illegal in Virginia, DC, and military bases for personal vehicles.

[linguist]

Unless things have changed fairly recently, radar detectors are legal in many areas.

Is "it's all about the money" also the reason they sometimes put up "work zone, fines doubled" signs and lay out barrels next to the road weeks or months before work begins and leave them there many weeks or months after work is complete? Because that's not just a nuisance; it puts workers in greater danger when they're actually there.

I'm not sure exactly how things work in your area, but around here fines are only doubled in work zones when workers are actually present.