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Radar Detector NewsRecent Radar Detector, Speed Trap, Speeding Ticket and Traffic Enforcement NewsMissouri: House Committee Votes to Expand Traffic Cameras - Missouri House Transportation Committee adopts legislation
encouraging cities to install red light cameras. The Missouri House Transportation Committee voted last week to encourage
municipalities to install red light cameras. Existing state laws do not authorize the use of automated ticketing machines, but,
beginning with Arnold in 2005, several cities have gambled that such a bill would be forthcoming. State Representative Kenny Jones
(R-California) obliged by introducing a bill on behalf of the photo ticketing industry that granting that authority. According to
state Attorney General Jay Nixon, without authorization these tickets would not hold up in court. Louisiana Lawmakers Vote to Expand Traffic Camera Use - Louisiana Senate committee adopts legislation giving
municipalities the green light to use speed cameras and red light cameras. A Louisiana state Senate committee voted last Thursday to
give the green light to municipalities eager to expand the use of red light cameras and speed cameras throughout the state. The
Senate Local and Municipal Affairs panel approved a measure introduced by state Senator Troy Hebert (D-Jeanerette) that would grant
specific, state-level authorization for the use of cameras to ticket motorists. Colorado: Freeway Photo Radar Approved - Colorado approves freeway speed cameras. Creates possibity of ticket for failing
to move over for photo radar van. The Colorado state legislature gave its final approval last week to legislation allowing the use
of speed cameras in highway work zones. The move was part of a series of bills designed to raise $18.1 million annually for the
state budget through increased traffic fine amounts and expanded ticketing operations. The latest measure was approved by a 61-2
margin in the state House and 22-12 in the state Senate. Governor Bill Ritter (D) has indicated his intention to sign the bill into
law next week. Stock Pressure Drives Red Light Camera Placement - Nestor Inc places red light cameras in locations designed to shore up
falling stock price. Pressure from Wall Street is driving a vendor to position red light cameras at intersections that will help
drive up its stock price. Nestor Inc. faces Nasdaq stock exchange delisting, a humiliating process that began nearly
one year ago when the Rhode Island based company's stock fell under the minimum level of $1 per share. In San Bernardino, California
City Attorney James F. Penman was led last week to issue a memo to the city manager warning that red light cameras were not being
installed at intersections based on their accident rate. Texas: 260 Bogus Red Light Camera Tickets Tossed - Corpus Christi, Texas forced to cancel 260 red light camera tickets
issued to motorists making a safe and legal right hand turn. About 260 motorists wrongly accused of "red light running" in
Corpus Christi, Texas will have their citations canceled. After receiving numerous complaints from innocent drivers, the Gulf Coast
city was forced to admit that drivers who had safely stopped should not have been ticketed by the machine located at the
intersection of Cimarron and Yorktown. Revenue Concerns Derail Maryland, Washington Photo Ticketing Expansion - Concerns over the disposition of profits have
thwarted efforts to expand photo ticketing in Washington state and Maryland. In Maryland, lawmakers deadlocked over whether
localities or the state should pocket the millions in revenue generated by tickets that some wanted boosted from $40 to $75. In
Washington state, the fear of a voter initiative has frozen the interest of many cities in installing new red light camera
systems. UK: Top Speed Camera Trap Caught Tricking Motorists at Night - The most profitable UK speed camera issued $26 million in
tickets at night when a speed limit change warning sign was completely unlit. The UK's most profitable speed camera that has been
sending £60 (US $120) tickets to vehicle owners at the rate of 2000 per day may now be forced to issue refunds. The device,
located on the southbound M11 at Woodford, Essex is situated at the point where the speed limit suddenly drops from 70 MPH to 50
MPH. Last month motorist Simon Grills forced the Crown Prosecution Service to drop his speed camera ticket after he proved the
signs warning of the speed change were effectively invisible at night. Grills produced evidence showing the lights meant to
illuminate the signs had been burned out since November 18, 2005. Missouri: Jail Time Possible for Red Light Ticket Recipients - Proposed ordinance would jail motorists in Saint Louis,
Missouri for failure to pay red light camera tickets. This means motorists who go on vacation or have a ticket that is lost in the
mail could find themselves subject to serious consequences. The penalty imposed by the proposed ordinance brings the potential fine
for non-payment up to $500 and imprisonment for up to ninety days. It Pays to Avoid a Speeding Ticket - Or Fight One - The best advice: don't speed. But if you get nailed, fight it -
because a $50 speeding ticket can cost you thousands once your insurer gets wind of it. True, a few more bucks won't change your
life, but the fine is usually the least of your worries. Even one speeding ticket can begin to turn your name to mud in your insurer
s eyes. More than one can cost you thousands of dollars in higher premiums. Maryland General Assembly Adopts Statewide Speed Cameras - Maryland looks to reap millions by approving speed cameras on
freeways and side streets. The Maryland state House on Thursday voted 90-45 to approve a measure authorizing speed cameras on
freeways and secondary roads throughout the state. The vote followed the state Senate adoption of a similar measure by a 26-21
margin earlier in the week. The measures were sponsored by Governor Martin O'Malley (D) who sees photo enforcement as a key to
boosting budget revenue. Connecticut: Thousands Face Bogus Speeding Tickets - More than 83,000 motorists could face bogus speeding convictions if
Connecticut approves photo enforcement program. Earlier this month, Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell (R) announced as part of her
state budget submission that she intended to generate millions in new revenue with a freeway speed camera program. As the Hartford
Courant pointed out, this puts more than 83,000 motorists in the state at risk because their license plate numbers are shared by
drivers with a different type of license plate. Camera Maker Admits Ticketing is Addictive - Cities get addicted to red light camera and speed camera revenue according
to the CEO of Affiliated Computer Services. A top vendor of speed camera and red light camera services told investors that his
company represents a great investment opportunity because the cities who use his product cannot resist the steady revenue stream it
creates. Connecticut: Rell Wants Cameras to Focus on Speeders - Traffic cameras along Interstate 95 are nothing new, but if Gov.
M. Jodi Rell has her way, a different set of cameras will be installed along highways to photograph and ticket anyone who is
breaking the speed limit. Houston, Texas Banks on Short Yellows - Red light cameras in the Houston, Texas area are earning millions of dollars in
extra revenue by trapping motorists with short yellow signals. KPRC-TV timed the yellow duration at a number of high-speed
intersections and found them to be far below the level recommended in Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) guidelines. At the
intersection of FM 1960 and West Townsend in Humble, for example, the posted speed is 50 MPH which suggests that the yellow should
last five seconds. Motorists, however, only get 3.6 seconds of warning before the red light camera begins issuing tickets. Rome, Georgia Red Light Cameras Increase Wrecks, Profit - The number of accidents increased at the Rome, Georgia
intersection where a red light camera was installed, but profits have continued to increase. The total number of collisions at
Hicks Drive and Turner McCall Boulevard jumped 24 percent between 2005 and 2007 while total profit increased 19 percent. New Mexico Senate Strikes Speed Camera Profit - The New Mexico Senate launched a direct attack on Albuquerque's speed
camera and red light camera program this week. The chamber voted 35-1 to approve a measure that cuts all automated ticket fines in
the city to $75 and mandates that the profit be distributed to the state courts. Until recently, Albuquerque's automated ticket
fines reached as high as $400 each which helped generate more than $11.7 million in revenue. Connecticut: Governor Pushing for Freeway Speed Cameras - Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell (R) will push for the
installation of freeway speed cameras as part of her budget submission to the legislature Wednesday. The move, combined with a
request for one hundred additional state troopers over the next five years, is designed to bolster the number of traffic citations
and generate millions in new revenue. Rell previewed her plan to the Hartford Courant newspaper yesterday. Rell follows the lead of
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D) who announced in her January budget submission that a new statewide freeway speed camera
program would generate $165 million in revenue. Radar Detectors Give Speed Freaks a Rush - Radar detectors, once thought of as relics, are back on the radar. As people
endure longer commutes and growing traffic jams, they are increasingly tempted to hit the gas pedal harder. Police are fighting back
with a web of electronic surveillance, from laser and radar speed traps to automated cameras that spot speeders and issue tickets by
mail. To improve their odds, committed speed demons (and scofflaws) are resorting to a new generation of high-end radar-detection
devices. The new models, which detect a wide range of radar bands and lasers, are touted as having better range and more sensitivity
than their predecessors while generating fewer false alarms. The Most Expensive States for Speeding Tickets 2007 - According to stats from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), the I-95 corridor between the southeast and New England includes five of the 10 U.S. states carrying the
highest fines for speeding - Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland and New Hampshire. All hit up speeders for a maximum of
$500 or more for a first offense. Judges in Carolina and Georgia, not to mention 16 other states, have the discretion to add jail
time. Georgia: Speed Trap Caught Using Ticket Quotas - A local television station has uncovered evidence that a notorious
Georgia speed trap has been using traffic ticket quotas. WGCL-TV reports that DeKalb County Police officers are told during roll
call that they must issue 65 citations a month and make 25 arrests. Those on traffic duty must issue a minimum of 150 citations a
month and make 11 arrests. Volunteer Radar Gunslingers Nail Speeders - Speeders beware. Your neighbors might have you on their radar. That's the
message police departments across the country are trying to send by loaning residents radar guns and turning them into neighborhood
speed watchers. Volunteers can't ticket the drivers they catch breaking the speed limit, but their reports can result in warning
letters being sent by police, depending on how fast the drivers were going. Banned by the Police, Laser Gun that led to Unfair Speeding Fines - Laser guns that may have helped to wrongly convict
thousands of motorists have been shelved by a police force. The move could call into question their use to trap speeding drivers
right across the country amid fears that they give false readings. Georgia Speed Trap Brings Huge Profit - Pendergrass, Georgia collects $1136 in ticket revenue for every resident.
Northeast Georgia's number one speed trap for the past three years in a row is continuing to generate record profits from traffic
fines. Last year, the Pendergrass Police Department collected $558,020 in fines with $312,636 in expenses leaving the department
with a $245,384 net profit for the year. Expand protest of suburban speed traps - Motorists should thank a group of community activists and ministers for killing
at least one speed trap in Metro Detroit. Redford Township in western Wayne County had come up with a scheme to bolster the
community's treasury by paying police officers bonuses for writing extra traffic tickets. 8 top traffic-ticket myths - Much of what you've heard isn't true. But this is: If an officer asks if you know why you
were pulled over, the answer is a very polite 'no.' Virginia County Judge Declares New Driver Penalties Unconstitutional - A Henrico County judge declared the state's new
abusive driver fees unconstitutional Thursday. With his order, Yeatts instructed Henrico General District Court clerks not to
collect civil remedial fees that can reach $1,000 or more for certain driving offenses. The ruling is binding only in Henrico County
but is being immediately appealed to Circuit Court and could eventually reach the Virginia Supreme Court. The Taxman Hits, in the Guise of a Traffic Cop - SHORT of cash and long of arm, the State of Virginia recently unveiled the nation's first $1,050 speeding ticket. You have to go 20 miles an hour over the speed limit to get that one; but under a new set of rules there are now a whole host of violations considered "reckless driving" that subject errant Virginia drivers to fines of $1,050 to $3,000 - plus court costs, if you fight and lose. The money will be spent on maintaining roads and bridges, safety improvements and closing a $500 million gap that emerged in last year's transportation budget. All over the country, supporting safety improvements on the wages of reckless driving has become a tradition. But in the
relations between government and its citizens, the four-digit traffic ticket also seems to signal a leap in the use of fines and
fees - and just about any other form of enhanced governmental income production - to avoid the dreaded thing itself, a tax
increase. Virginia's new $3,550 speeding ticket - Traffic offenders face whopping additional fees that live on long after they've
paid their fines. It's part of a growing 'driver responsibility' trend that targets chronic offenders. Starting July 1, an array of
traffic offenses, from expired licenses to speeding, come with a "civil remedial fee" attached. That means a motorist
convicted of reckless driving (75 mph in a 55 zone would qualify) faces not only a fine of up to $2,500 and a year in jail, but a
non-negotiable $350-a-year tax for three years. The law forbids judges from waiving or reducing the fee. Virginia to issue traffic fines as high as $3,000 - Virginia is for lovers, or so the state slogan has declared since
1969. Starting Sunday [July 1, 2007], Virginia also will be the home of the $3,000 traffic ticket. The new civil charges will range
from $750 to $3,000 and be added to existing fines and court costs. The civil penalty for going 20 mph over the speed limit will be
$1,050, plus $61 in court costs and a fine that is typically about $200. Ohio: Highway Robbery - The booming business behind tristate speed traps - and which roads bank among the worst
offenders... Speeding tickets. They're inevitable - if you spend just part of your workday on the road - and sometimes undeserved.
While there are absolutely no legitimate excuses for truly speeding, there's often no legitimate excuse for speed traps. On the Ohio
side, especially, tiny municipalities can be found bolstering revenue by setting ticket quotas and prowling the pieces of interstate
and other roadways that thread through their borders. Ohio, in fact, ranks No. 1 in the nation for issuing speeding tickets. Georgia: Speeding May Break You - On the lookout for Georgia's worst speed traps? Here's something a radar detector won't
tell you - the price of a speeding ticket in South Georgia can vary by as much as $850, depending on where you happen to get caught.
Georgia's motorists also pay some of the highest speeding tickets in the country. Georgia is one of only five states allowing fines
up to $1,000. By contrast, 33 states charge motorists $250 or less. Oklahoma: New Law Eliminates Speed Trap Restrictions - Several speed traps are back. State lawmakers have repealed
legislation that designated five Oklahoma communities as speed traps. Police in these areas are once again allowed to issue tickets
on highways that run through their city limits. Texas DOT Shuts Down Photo Radar Operations - The Texas Department of Transportation has ordered cities using
unauthorized speed cameras to cease ticketing operations. Rhome Mayor Mark Lorance confirmed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
newspaper that the city had received the department's order. Earlier this month, the state House of Representatives unanimously
voted to ban speed cameras in the state. Ohio: Petition to Stop Speed Trap - Middlefield, Ohio residents will vote on whether to overturn an ordinance establishing
the village as a speed trap. Ohio law allows small towns to establish mayor's courts instead of using county courthouses. The
practice is meant to allow the towns to keep the significant revenue generated from motorists. The practice, however, has come under
fire because it encourages speed traps. One of the most vocal critics is the Ohio Supreme Court's chief justice. Ohio: Petition to Stop Speed Trap - Middlefield, Ohio residents will vote on whether to overturn an ordinance establishing
the village as a speed trap. Ohio law allows small towns to establish mayor's courts instead of using county courthouses. The
practice is meant to allow the towns to keep the significant revenue generated from motorists. The practice, however, has come under
fire because it encourages speed traps. One of the most vocal critics is the Ohio Supreme Court's chief justice. Florida: Cops Set Up Christmas Speed Trap - An Orange, County Florida cop disguised himself as an elf to issue between
$10,000 and $50,000 in speeding tickets in less than three hours. New Device To Target Chicago Speeders - The new tool in the department for traffic enforcement is a speed gun that uses
laser technology instead of radar to catch people speeding. After using the gun three days in one district, traffic officers gave
469 tickets to speeders. Minnesota: Police Chief Wants Speed Traps to Fund Overtime - The police chief of Goodview, Minnesota suggests speed traps
are the best way to fund overtime for his officers. New Tool to Ticket People Who Are Not Speeding - The most popular, and controversial, laser speeding ticket gun has added
a tailgating ticket feature. Florida: Homeless Speed Trap Is Back - Police in Ocala, Florida have brought back the practice of dressing up like the
homeless in order to generate significant traffic ticket revenue. Top Georgia Speed Trap Collects $1000 per Resident - Police departments in small northeast Georgia cities are using
speeding tickets to generate up to $1000 per resident in annual revenue. New Photo Radar in Scottsdale - If you drive on Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard near 77th Street, you'd better watch your
speed. CHP officers armed with lidar devices - Drivers who like to get on the gas pedal should beware. Officers of the California
Highway Patrol in Santa Cruz County have a new tool to help them more accurately catch speeding motorists than radar. The hand-held
device known as lidar, short for Light Detection and Ranging uses a light beam and creates a smaller range of field for officers to
zoom in on cars than radar systems that emit radio waves. Oklahoma Fights Speed Trap Towns - The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety takes action to shut down small towns that
issue speeding tickets to shore up municipal budgets. Oklahoma: Speed Trap Police Department Shut Down - The speed trap town of Shamrock, Oklahoma will lose its police
department because its officers are not properly certified. Tennessee: Speed Trap Mayor Suspended - The speed trap mayor of Coopertown, Tennessee has been suspended after more than
a dozen witnesses documented his misconduct in court hearings. Tennessee: Speed Trap Fine Refunds Possible - Coopertown, Tennessee may be forced to refund illegally issued speed trap
tickets. Arizona: Freeway Radar Set to Expand - Prescott Valley, Arizona moves to adopt freeway speed camera ordinance to share in
the $19 million generated in Scottsdale. South Carolina Grand Jury Indicts Speed Trap Town - The municipal judge and police chief in McBee, South Carolina indicted
on charges of using speed traps and car seizures to raise money for the city. Speeders Armed With High-Tech Gear Joust With Cops - The public obviously is well served when police suppress reckless
and dangerous drivers. Still, many of the nation's speed limits can be raised safely, in light of advancements in cars and
improvements in road construction. And let's face it: Speed limits have been set low in many locales for no reason other than
nabbing lots of drivers who pay fines and provide local government with extra revenue. Man to take photo radar fight to Supreme Court - A Scottsdale [Arizona] man is taking his fight against a photo radar
ticket to the United States Supreme Court. Top Ten US Speed Trap Cities - The National Motorists Association issued a warning to holiday weekend travelers urging them to avoid or use caution when driving through the ten cities most notorious for speed traps. "Nothing can ruin a vacation more quickly than an undeserved speeding ticket," explained Eric Skrum, the group's communications director. The top-ten list of speed trap cities was created with data from the SpeedTrap Exchange, a site that identifies locations that combine arbitrarily low speed limits with heavy traffic enforcement designed to raise revenue. The top-ten cities are as follows:
Illinois: Freeway Speeding Cameras Activated - Marked white photo radar vans are ticketing motorists on the Dan Ryan
Expressway in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois State Police officers will sit inside the vans belonging to Affiliated Computer Services
(ACS) while the machine generates tickets. Illinois will pay the company $2950 per month per van as well as a $15 bonus for every
ticket the company is able to generate. The program represents the only statewide use of freeway speed cameras in the United States.
Currently, only two cities -- Scottsdale, Arizona and Washington, DC -- operate photo radar on freeways. Illinois stands to make far
more as the state's maximum fine is five times greater than Scottsdale's. Scottsdale, Arizona Making Millions with Photo Radar - Freeway speed camera revenue in Scottsdale, Arizona grows to nearly
$3 million with no signs of slowing. Photo radar units on the Loop 101 freeway in Scottsdale, Arizona have generated more than
$2,894,766 in revenue since the set of six speed cameras were activated on February 22. Ohio: Speed Trap Village Runs Illegal Court - The mayor of Brice, Ohio has canceled mayor's court hearings until further
notice after lawmakers insisted that the village was in violation of a 2003 statute designed to prevent speed traps. In Ohio, 333
towns use mayor's courts to process traffic tickets and minor infractions with the mayor able both to decide guilt or innocence in
individual cases and to decide how to spend the fine money that is collected. Ohio's top ten most successful mayors together brought
in $2.3 million for their budget in 2004 with this system. Louisiana is the only other state to use mayor's courts. Lawrenceville, Georgia Taxes with Tickets - Traffic tickets account for more of Lawrenceville, Georgia's annual revenue
than property taxes. The Gwinnett County city of more than 26,000 residents has used police power to enrich city coffers in this way
since at least 2000. South Carolina: Unmarked, Junk Pickup Used in Speed Trap - Charleston County, South Carolina sheriffs are using a beat up
pickup truck to sneak up on surprised motorists and issue speeding tickets. Police seized the V-6 powered domestic long-bed truck in
a drug raid. They then equipped it with blue police lights and tinted windows, making it very hard to identify as a legitimate
police vehicle. Panel rejects allowing radar detectors in Virginia - A legislative committee today [1/26/2006] rejected a bill that would
have ended Virginia's distinction as the only state that bans radar detectors. Virginia Mulls Repeal of Radar Detector Ban - Virginia Delegate Joe T. May, (R-Leesburg) is working to repeal the state's
law making it a crime to possess a radar detector in an automobile. Earlier this month [1/2006] May introduced HB 1120 which would
eliminate the $96 ticket police currently issue to those caught with the device - whether it was in use or not. "Is your
objective to keep people in the speed limit, or is your objective to issue citations?" May asked in the Winchester Star
newspaper. He explained the ban provides a "rude welcome" to visitors from the forty-nine states that have no such law and
are among its most frequent recipients. Arizona Gives Final Approval to Freeway Photo Radar - Scottsdale, Arizona begins installation of its lucrative new freeway
speed camera system. Early estimates suggested the city could issue between 1500 and 2500 tickets every day, generating $235,000 in
daily revenue. Coburg, Oregon Speed Trap Returns - The city of Coburg, Oregon, population 969, will take in $630,000 in speeding ticket
revenue. Despite efforts by the Oregon legislature to shut down speed trap operations, the city of Coburg is on track to collect 37
percent of its annual revenue from speeding tickets. Florida: Inaccurate Lidar Tickets Discovered - Florida Highway Patrol officers have been issuing inaccurate laser speed
gun tickets on the Midpoint Memorial Bridge toll plaza between Coral Ridge and Fort Meyers. After hearing a complaint, WBBH-TV
double-checked a day's worth of tickets issued at the same location and discovered a number of tickets were based upon the wrong
speed limit. Speed trap or safety measure? Summersville, W. Va., police wrote 10,000 tickets in 2004 - It's the kind of sign that
invites a double take. Or leads drivers to point with one hand and poke their passengers with the other one. It's the kind of sign
that makes you want to slam on the brakes. "Summersville, The World's Largest SPEED TRAP 4 MILES AHEAD." Wisconsin: Police Hassle Speed Trap Samaritan - Police in Madison, Wisconsin threatened jail time to a good samaritan who
warned fellow motorists of an upcoming speed trap. Petition May Stop Scottsdale Photo Radar - Scottsdale, Arizona's plan to raise $22 million in revenue through the use of
speed cameras on the Loop 101 freeway could be stopped by a vote of the public. Local activist Michael Merrill is attempting to
gather 3,384 signatures in the city of 200,000 within the next two weeks to qualify for a referendum on the March 14 election
ballot. More than 500 signatures have been collected so far. CHP Expands Use Of Radar To Catch Speeders - California Highway Patrol officers have been using radar guns to clock
vehicle speeds on stretches of Interstates 5 and 15 for years, but now they will start using them on all other local freeways. The Number One Speed Trap in Georgia - The town of Pendergrass takes in more cash from speeding tickets than any other
city in Georgia. Last year, the town of 480 residents generated $490,574 in traffic citation revenue, with the net profit amounting
to one-half of the town's entire budget and seven times the revenue generated from property tax receipts. Freeway photo radar could breed lawsuits - A Scottsdale, Arizona plan to install photo radar on Loop 101 has city
officials concerned the cameras might catch as many lawsuits as they do speeders. Council members have begun asking whether the city
was prepared for the risks photo radar might bring. Expert spills some secrets on beating a ticket - Beating a traffic ticket in California's Superior Courts means preparing
a case, knowing the law and asking the right questions, according to an attorney who's written two books on the subject. Appeals Court Overturns Pennsylvania Radar Gag Order - Philadelphia papers can once again report on the Pennsylvania
State Police radar cover-up. The 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reversed an order that was designed to prevent public disclosure
of damaging information regarding the faulty Genesis brand radar speed detecting unit used by the Pennsylvania State Police as well
as many other forces around the country. Don't jettison photo radar just because it's not a cash cow - The Arizona Legislature has attached some stringent
requirements to photo radar, including the need to photograph not only the vehicle license plate, but also the driver's face and the
actual violation. Some states have less stringent requirements, which means more citations and fines, but Arizona's requirements are
appropriate in terms of proving a violation actually occurred and that the driver - rather than the vehicle's registered owner - is
held responsible. The fact that photo safety programs aren't at least breaking even for the East Valley cities that have them is
probably disappointing to both foes who'd assumed it was a cash cow and to taxpayers who don't mind seeing speeders and red-light
runners smacked in the pocketbook. Photo radar, red-light camera cash eludes East Valley cities - The concept seems like a gold mine for police departments:
Cameras catching speeders and red-light runners, so officers don't have to. But in reality, photo safety programs lose money. At
least for Arizona cities. Everybody else involved does just fine. The state cashes in. Private vendors and process servers cash in.
And insurance companies and defensive driving schools cash in. But the six photo safety programs in the East Valley and Phoenix
drained city coffers of nearly $1 million combined in fiscal 2004-05. Big focus for photo radar on Loop 101 - Scottsdale hopes to launch a traffic-enforcement system on Loop 101 that could
serve as a model for all Arizona highways. City officials sat down last week with representatives from the Arizona Department of
Transportation, state Department of Public Safety and the governor's office. Harrington police: Speeders beware; State Farm grant buys laser - The business of speed enforcement just got a whole lot
better in Harrington, Delaware. Thanks to a $4,000 grant from State Farm Insurance, the Harrington Police Department has purchased
the latest in what civilians call radar guns and police know as Lidar - an infrared laser device. GBI agrees to take up case of alleged speed trap - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has agreed to look into an alleged
speed trap in Midville. If authorities determine Midville was running a speed trap, the city police department could lose its permit
to run radar. Petition alleges Midville, Georgia police ran speed trap - The Burke County sheriff has asked the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation to step in after allegations that a small-town police department has been operating a speed trap. Sheriff Greg Coursey
made his request to the GBI after residents of this east Georgia town submitted a petition with 122 signatures accusing the city
police department of running a speed trap. Under state law, an agency is presumed to be running a speed trap if 40 percent or more
of its budget comes from speeding fines, with the exception of violations of more than 17 miles per hour over the speed limit. Massachusetts: Town Cops Warn Motorists of State Speed Trap - Motorists in Nahant, Massachusetts are the beneficiaries of
a territorial dispute between the town's police force and state troopers. The town police are flashing lights on their cruisers to
warn of a radar speed trap operated by the state police on the Nahant Causeway. Utah Cops Set Up Radar Speed Trap at Church - Provo, Utah Mayor Lewis Billings has instructed city police not to set up
speed traps on private property without the consent of the owner. His directive came after complaints about a police sting operation
being run out of a church. Encinitas eyes photo radar to nab speeders - The city of Encinitas, California which uses cameras to catch red-light
runners, is considering similar technology to nab speeders. "Photo radar enforcement," as the technology is called, weds
speed-sensing radar to cameras. Only one California city, San Jose, is known to use the system. Like red-light cameras, which the
city uses at its busiest intersection on El Camino Real at Encinitas Boulevard, an automated, anti-speeding system would be cheaper
to employ than a sheriff's deputy. Freeway photo radar ban squeaks through House - The Arizona state House of Representatives barely approved a bill Monday
that would limit any possible use of photo radar on freeways to a one year pilot program on Loop 101 through Scottsdale. CHP Turning To Lasers Not Radar To Snare Speeders - The Solano area California Highway Patrol announced Thursday that
effective April 8 LIDAR will be used for speed enforcement on all freeways, highways, and county roads that are currently surveyed
for the use of traffic radar. Illinois Speed Cameras to Take License on 2nd Offense - Beginning in July the State of Illinois will use speed cameras in
areas designated as "work zones" on major freeways. Anyone caught by the devices will be mailed a $375 ticket for the
first offense, but a second ticket will cost $1000 and comes with a 90-day license suspension. Drivers will also face higher
insurance premiums as the first offense remains on the record for 4-5 years, but a second offense remains for a minimum of 7 years.
This represents the harshest penalty structure yet for a city using photo enforcement. Oklahoma Cities May Get Caught in Their Own Speed Traps - New legislation approved by the legislature last year allows the
department to investigate communities that gain 50 percent or more of their operating revenue from writing tickets on state highways
or interstates. Towns also are looked at if a disproportionate number of tickets come from the highways. The state can legally
prevent towns from enforcing traffic laws on the highways if they are seen as abusing the right. Laser-Equipped Detectors Zero In On Speeders - New Detectors Work Better Than Radar - State police in Massachusetts and
New Hampshire are using laser-equipped detectors to zero in on speeders. AAA Questions D.C.'s Photo Radar - AAA Mid-Atlantic became concerned about the cameras after it learned about a letter
that Washington, D.C. Mayor Tony Williams sent to Council Chair Linda Cropp in December asking the council to continue the city's
automated traffic enforcement program. The letter reportedly never mentioned safety but did say there was an "urgent need"
to continue the program to collect revenue for the District. Drivers push for hearings on cameras - The region's largest advocacy group for motorists is urging the Washington D.C.
Council to hold oversight hearings on the city's use of red-light and speed camera technology, citing a recent plea by Mayor Anthony
A. Williams to keep the program so the city can continue to collect revenue. Photo radar tickets soar in Scottsdale - Photo enforcement citations in Scottsdale, Arizona shot up 75 percent in 2004,
mostly because of a crackdown on leadfoots on Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. A new bank of cameras on the busy road generated 15,574
tickets - making that the city's No. 1 spot to get a speeding ticket. The equipment on the boulevard at 77th Street generated more
than a quarter of all photo citations in the city despite operating for just slightly more than four months. Rocky hoping photo radar gets green light - Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's push to regain the ability for cities to
install PhotoCop-like traffic enforcement will hit the City Council tonight. Soon the push will reach the Utah Legislature. Radar flap hurts police reputation - The effectiveness of our justice system relies on a presumption of fairness, whether
the infraction being prosecuted is a felony, a misdemeanor or a summary offense. So when a common law-enforcement tool is suspected
of returning unreliable results, a quick remedy to the situation should be called for. The Pennsylvania State Police, however,
didn't see it that way when it turned out that a particular brand of radar speed-measuring device was known to malfunction
frequently. The Associated Press reports that state police rejected a free fix offered by the radar gun's manufacturer because they
were afraid that motorists would challenge their tickets if word of the recall got out. Photo radar on Frank Lloyd Wright leads tickets - A relatively new photo radar installation in north Scottsdale, AZ, has
become the top source of speeding tickets - surpassing even a fleet of four vans that operates 20 hours a day, six days a week. New photo radar begins - Another new photo radar device will start clicking shots of scofflaws Monday morning when
Scottsdale, Arizona turns on the latest red-light and speed camera at Shea Boulevard and Scottsdale Road. AAA Arizona comes out against photo radar - "We believe traffic officers are the most effective deterrent against
most types of unsafe driving, including speeding," President Jim McDowell wrote in a message to readers in the
September/October issue of Highroads, a magazine for AAA customers in Arizona. "Substituting mechanical cops for real ones
might be an efficient way to snag speeders, but it robs us of the multiple benefits patrol officers bring to the scene." Judge voids speed trap's traffic tickets - Columbus, Ohio, judge has dismissed pending traffic tickets issued by a defunct
village known for being a speed trap. The decision affects about 2,000 motorists. |
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