Florida, Washington, France: Traffic Cameras Face Legal and Accuracy Problems
Posted: 06 Feb 2010 12:10 PM PST
Photo enforcement machines around the world this week were found to be ticketing drivers who had malfunctioned, ticketed motorists who had done nothing wrong, or the machines themselves were found to be in violation of the law.In Collier County, Florida on Friday, the private vendor American Traffic Solutions was working to install more red light cameras even though at least some of the already-installed devices had gone out-of-control, flashing nearly every passing motorist. The Marco Eagle reported that the cameras at the intersection of Immokalee and Airport-Pulling Roads, in addition to Immokalee and Livingston Roads, began malfunctioning early in the week.
“American Traffic Solutions is aware of the issues with the two cameras in Collier County,” ATS spokesman Ellen Pence told the Eagle. “We are taking this issue very seriously. Our local technicians have been on site, and we realize that a few of our signal detectors need to be readjusted to return to normal functioning. We are working to accomplish that as quickly as possible, and hopefully the issue will be fixed no later than mid-day tomorrow.”
No citations were issued as a result of the faulty sensors in this particular case, but automated tickets issued in Florida rest on shaky legal ground. A number of class action lawsuits are fighting red light camera programs on the ground that the state attorney general, the state department of transportation, and even red light camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems agree that photo enforcement is illegal in Florida (
view Redflex statement, page 6, 1.8mb PDF).
In Seattle, Washington, Judge Francis deVilla ruled on Monday that a red light camera citation issued at the intersection of 45th Street at Union Bay Place was illegal, KING-TV reported. Under state law, such cameras are only allowed at four-way intersections, but the location in question was a five-way intersection. Afraid of refunding the 9000 tickets worth $1.1 million, the city is ignoring deVilla’s ruling, as well as a prior ruling by Judge Adam Eisenberg that found the ticketing location in violation of state law.
A French camera falsely accused motorists of speeding in Rouillac on the road to St. Jean d’Angely on January 14. Although the speed limit at the location was 70 km/h (44 MPH) the camera was set to ticket vehicles traveling at 50 km/h (31 MPH), Charente Libre reported. Under French law, any motorist wishing to challenge an automated citation had to pay it first. A large number of outraged motorists began complaining until the Mayor of Rouillac, Michel Trainaud, was forced last week to refund every ticket issued on that day. Source
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/30/3042.asp
February 8, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, Government Revenue Scams, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime Posted in: Constitutional Rights, Court Cases, Government Revenue Scam, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Ticket Cameras 
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Quotas? Pressure to Rip Motorist Off Leads to Fake Tickets
Florida: Highway Trooper Busted For Writing Fake Tickets
Posted: 05 Feb 2010 12:35 AM PST
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was charged Tuesday with issuing traffic tickets against motorists who had done nothing wrong. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle charged Trooper Paul C. Lawrence, a twelve-year veteran, with twenty-two counts of official misconduct, a third-degree felony.
Lawrence allegedly made up the violations and filed citations in the computer system between November and January. The victims never received a copy. Like most states facing budget troubles, trooper performance in Florida is measured primarily by the number of citations issued while on duty. Florida is unique in providing a direct financial incentive for individual police officers to issue tickets. The state taxes insurance premiums to fund police pensions. For example, an individual who pays a thousand dollars to insure his vehicle would pay $8.50 into the police fund annually. This premium, and the subsequent contribution to police, skyrockets after the motorist receives a traffic ticket. This in turn increases the take home pay of police officers by decreasing their contributions to the fund accordingly.
Lawrence’s plot to boost his statistics unraveled when motorists began to have their licenses suspended for failure to pay the faux citations. Their complaints led to an investigation which determined that an unusual number of his traffic tickets were not signed by the alleged offenders. Many of the ticketed drivers could also prove that they were elsewhere at the time and date of the incident claimed on the citation.
“We all know that honesty and integrity are the central values of every effective police agency,” Rundle said in a statement. “When an officer lies, he damages the reputation of his department and every one of his fellow officers. In Mr. Lawrence’s case, he has also committed a crime. Now we all must work to undo the damage Mr. Lawrence created.”
Rundle asked the county court to dismiss 85 traffic tickets that Lawrence had written over the past several months, many of which were issued to individuals had Hispanic surnames. The FHP is reviewing all of the citations that Lawrence has issued. Source
February 7, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, Government Revenue Scams, Police State, Quotas, Red Light Cameras, Speeding Ticket, Surveillance Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime Posted in: Police State, Quotas, Speeding Ticket No Comments
Cleveland, TN Taking Down Red Light Cameras
When the revenue dries up, the cameras (scameras) come down.
posted February 5, 2010
Cleveland city officials said red light cameras in the city seem to be effective, but the company furnishing the cameras has asked that the cameras come down.
Accordingly, they will be removed at the end of March.
The firm that supplied the cameras said both it and the city have been losing money on the operation.
A statement from the city manager’s office said, “The city of Cleveland is in a contract with Traffipax, Inc. for an automated traffic light enforcement system (red light cameras). The red light camera program has demonstrated safety as well as a decrease in accidents per statistics shown below:
Pre-Camera FY08
Post- Camera FY09
Paul Huff/Keith 59 20
25th/Keith 46 23
20th/Keith 7 4
Raider/Keith 5 10
25th/Peerless 19 18
“On Feb. 1 the city received a letter from Traffipax, Inc., requesting the
removal of cameras at each location. Therefore, the red light cameras will be decommissioned by March 31, 2010.”
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_168401.asp
February 6, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, Government Officals, Government Revenue Scams, Media Coverage, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Revenue dries up, safety not revenue, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime Posted in: Cameras Removed, Constitutional Rights, Government Losing Money, Government Revenue Scam, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Lights No Comments
Pinal County Sheriff to Lead Protest Against Speed Cameras
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2010/02/pinal_county_sheriff_to_lead_p.php
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Pinal County Sheriff to Lead Protest Against Speed Cameras Tomorrow
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If you want to see the end of photo-radar enforcement, you’re not alone — so does Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, and he’ll be voicing his opposition at a protest in front of Redflex’s Phoenix headquarters tomorrow morning.Babeu will be headlining the protest in collaboration with the Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar.Â
“The system was never about safety, it’s always been about making money. The people of Arizona don’t like it, and, as a matter of fact, photo radar has never survived a public vote anywhere, ever. When our citizens get the chance this November, they will vote them down too,” says a spokesman for ACAPR.
Babeu has been speaking out against photo-radar since he became sheriff in early 2009. He put an end to his county’s eyes-in-the-sky after he saw accidents increase by 16 percent.
He tells KTAR that the reason he pulled the plug on the program was because “citizens were slamming on their brakes when they saw the cameras, and they would get rear-ended.”
The protest is set to begin at noon tomorrow at the Redflex headquarters located at 23751 North 23rd Avenue in Phoenix. Citizens are welcome to join in the fun. If you can’t make it to the protest, click here for some suggestions on how to avoid gettin’ pinched by the photo fuzz.
February 5, 2010
Tags: Camera Blog, Camera Protest, Constitutional Rights, Government Officals, Government Revenue Scams, Media Coverage, Motorist Rights, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime Posted in: Camera Protest, Constitutional Rights, Government Revenue Scam, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Speeding Ticket, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Lights No Comments
“Vigilantes” show their feelings on scameras & Watch Out for Hidden Cameras
http://camerafraud.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/sign-making-party/#comment-16335
February 5, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, Government Revenue Scams, Media Coverage, Police State, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime Posted in: Government Revenue Scam, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Traffic Lights No Comments
South Dakota, Tennessee Consider Traffic Camera Bans
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/30/3035.asp
Posted: 30 Jan 2010 11:45 AM PST
A number of states are considering legislation that would outlaw the use of photo enforcement. Last year alone, Maine, Mississippi and Montana added themselves to the list of fifteen states where red light cameras and speed cameras are no longer welcome. On Thursday, the South Dakota House Transportation Committee will consider legislation introduced by state Representative Peggy Gibson (D-Huron) to make her state the sixteenth.
“No state, county, municipal, or township authority may use photo radar speed detection to determine compliance with any speed restriction imposed by this chapter or by any local ordinance,” House Bill 1140 states. “No state, county, municipal, or township authority may use a photo monitoring device to detect any red light violation.”
Gibson has already enlisted the support of twenty-three co-sponsors in the House and seven in the Senate (Read the legislation, 20k PDF file). In Tennessee, lobbyists for municipalities and photo enforcement companies have proved to have tight hold on legislators, as past legislation expanded the use of photo ticketing enacted in the guise of a ban.
Nonetheless, House Majority Leader Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) introduced a true ban on photo enforcement devices with only one compromise. Cities with existing programs would be allowed to continue issuing tickets until the expiration of their contract with the private vendors that operate the systems (Read the legislation, 40k PDF file).
“After the effective date of this act no surveillance cameras to enforce or monitor traffic violations shall be installed,” House Bill 2735 states. “Surveillance cameras employed upon the effective date of this act may continue to be used pending the expiration of any contract governing their operation or until the costs of such surveillance cameras have been recovered. Upon the expiration of the contract governing its operation or upon the recovery of costs for a surveillance camera, the use of such surveillance camera shall be discontinued.”
If Mumpower cannot convince his colleagues to join him with a total ban, he introduced a menu of lesser restrictions. House Bill 2737 would forbid cities from hiring companies like Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia and American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale unless those companies employ workers in Tennessee for the operation and monitoring of the cameras. Other Mumpower bills would dedicate photo ticket profit to education or transportation uses.
The least restrictive option, House Bill 2738, would require only that jurisdictions using cameras post information on their city websites three times a year on the number and type of tickets issued — including the number of right-turn citations. It would also report the amount of money generated and require an accounting of where the money was spent. Reporting costs would be paid from photo ticket fines. Competing legislation from the House Transportation Committee is also pending before the legislature.
In Missouri, state Senator Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis) prefiled legislation in December prohibiting all forms of automated ticketing machines. Source
January 30, 2010
Posted in: Government Revenue Scam, Legislation, Red Light Cameras, Ticket Cameras No Comments
Do Newspapers have Hiden Agendas?
Check this article out. Arizona Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have approved legislation to allow for a one second not citation time period.Â
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/150006Â
The title is and first sentence are misleading. Title: Panel OKs red-light camera ‘grace’ period  Good news for motorists trying to beat the light: State lawmakers want to give you another second to do it without getting your picture snapped.
This article starts off slanted by implying that all those travelers going through the light safely within the high profit period (first second) are doing so because they are trying to beat the lights, and legislators are gracing these people with a one second leinancy. Not true. The former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey report on red-light running show’s that the yellow-light timing has been deliberately short times for profit. http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/reports/rlcreport.asp
Look at the slant of the Knoxville News Sentinel Author, Jack McElroy. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/jan/17/red-light-cameras-good-for-public-safety/
McElroy takes an opinion, that red-light cameras are good for safety, and states it as fact in the most noticle place, the title, while giving only one example of alleged safety improvement in the entire editorial.  Furthermore, he lets the cat out of bag as to the true motive of red-light cameras. “Also, the cameras accomplish at a fraction of the cost the two goals of traffic stops: feed the treasury and enforce the law.”  Feed the treasury is stated as the first goal of a traffic stop, along with enforcing the law. A traffic stop should never be about revenue or enforcment of law. It should be about safety. Enforcement of law is only a good thing, when it’s accomplishing a goal. If it is not accomplishing a goal, then it is not a good law, but actually breeds contempt for law, particular law enforcment officers.
January 29, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, driver behavior, Government Officals, Government Revenue Scams, Media Coverage, Motorist Rights, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime, Yellow-Light Timing Posted in: Media Bias, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Yellow-Light Timing No Comments
Highway Robbery
January 28, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, Fascism, Government Officals, Government Revenue Scams, Motorist Rights, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime Posted in: Fear Tactics, Government Revenue Scam, Police State, Speeding Ticket, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Lights No Comments
Man Gets Scamera Speeding Ticket For…Parking
Driver gets tickets while parked in front of speed camera
It seems Jeff Buck has to park his car on the street outside his home in Nottingham. With no driveway or garage available, parking it on the shoulder along Watnall Road is the best he can do.
The problem stems from the fact that somebody else happened to speed past the camera perched above his parked car. Police officers who processed the photos and issued the fines somehow missed the fact that his vehicle was stationary.
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Police have now issued an apology to Buck after he successfully fought the tickets. It probably wasn’t too hard to prove that his parked car wasn’t the one triggering the speed cameras. We’re guessing police will now be looking a little more closely at the other vehicles in the pictures to see who actually broke the 30 mile per hour speed limit along that road.
Although relieved to have the fines dismissed, Buck is understandably still a bit perturbed:
“I assumed the first time it happened that the police would put something in place to prevent it from happening again. I’m concerned now that every time someone triggers the camera I’ll get these notices. I am amused by it, but also angry that I have to go to the trouble of contacting the police.”
A spokeswoman for the Nottinghamshire Police said that staff members would be getting a little extra training in verifying the speed camera images properly.
http://autos.aol.com/article/mistaken-identity-speeding-tickets
January 27, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, Government Revenue Scams, Motorist Rights, Police State, Red Light Cameras, safety not revenue, Speeding Ticket, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Cameras, Traffic Lights, Victimless Crime Posted in: Court Cases, Police State, Speeding Ticket, Ticket Cameras No Comments
WA Legislator says Cities are Killing People with Cameras for Money!
Red Light Cameras on Trial in Olympia
- By Steven Gardner
- Posted January 24, 2010 at 5:53 p.m.
OLYMPIA — The cameras that nab red-light runners in Bremerton could become less profitable under legislation now being considered in Olympia.
State Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, has sponsored a bill that would cap fines at $25 and require yellow lights at intersections where the cameras are used to last at least four seconds.
It’s the second part that Hurst, who spent 25 years in law enforcement, said is the most important part of the bill. While use of the cameras is comparatively new in Washington state, in other parts of the country, Hurst said cities that use them have been tempted to reduce the time the yellow light runs to generate more infractions.
More infractions means more money, but it also means more accidents. “Now they’re actually killing their citizens to make money off these things,” Hurst said.
The Spokesman-Review newspaper reported earlier this month that studies of the first year of a red-light enforcement program in Spokane actually saw an increase in accidents and injuries.
That hasn’t been the case in Bremerton, according to Lt. Pete Fisher.
Fisher said the city videotaped infractions before implementing the program. Once the city started sending out tickets, violations and collisions went down by between a third and a half, he said.
Bremerton has not modified the length of yellow lights since the cameras were installed, Fisher said. Fisher didn’t have the data in front of him, but he said he believes Bremerton’s yellow lights last 3.5 seconds, followed by a one-second pause before the opposing light turns green.
Hurst said the four-second requirement would be key to ensuring intersections with cameras are safer. The secondary issue, he said, is that the cameras turn public safety into revenue generation, which he said corrupts the process.
He said some Washington communities used to encourage police officers to write massive amounts of tickets to generate revenues. The state took measures to reduce fines, making traffic laws sustainable to enforce without being profit centers, he said.
Now that cameras are providing the enforcement, however, local communities are seeing the appeal of automated traffic citations. “It’s like crack cocaine for cities,” Hurst said. “We gave them the power to do this. Once they got a little taste for it, they needed more.”
This summer, when Bremerton renegotiated its contract with Redflex, the company that installed the cameras and services the system, the city expected to net about $26,000 a month from the cameras.
Violators are charged $124 for the infraction. The citations don’t count against a driver’s record and don’t affect insurance rates.
Redflex gets $4,000 a month per camera, or less if the camera doesn’t generate that much in fines. Bremerton has been able to pay the company out of the approximately $70,000 a month the city grosses in fines. Another $7,500 goes to staff enforcement.
If the Legislature were to approve the bill and cap fines to $25, Bremerton’s monthly gross could shrink to around $14,000, less than half of what it now pays to Redflex and leaving nothing to pay staff to administer it.
That could be a bigger problem for the city, because it cannot reduce its police force because of economic stimulus money the city received to keep cops employed.
That the revenue question is the first one out of the box is a major reason Hurst wrote the bill. The legislator said when he reads about cities considering the cameras, the entire conversation is about money. “They don’t even bother with talking about public safety,” he said.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Committee on Transportation on Wednesday.
Hurst said the companies that operate the cameras are so well represented in Olympia he was surprised the bill was scheduled for a hearing at all.
Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jan/24/red-light-cameras-on-trial-in-olympia/#ixzz0ddZXqWrg
January 25, 2010
Tags: Constitutional Rights, Government Officals, Government Revenue Scams, Media Coverage, Motorist Rights, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Red Light Running, safety not revenue, Surveillance Cameras, Ticket Cameras, Traffic Cameras, Traffic Lights, Unconstitutional, Victimless Crime, Yellow-Light Timing Posted in: Constitutional Rights, Government Revenue Scam, Police State, Red Light Cameras, Safety Benefits, Ticket Cameras, Yellow-Light Timing No Comments