Barry Loudermilk
See Loudermilk's testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Utilization and Impacts of Automated Traffic Enforcement.
Click to see the subcommittee website to see a live webcast of the hearings.
The federal government does not regulate red-light cameras or speed cameras, but it does allow grant money to be used to purchase the equipment as a road safety initiative.
However, the subcommittee’s agenda summary notes that the use of red-light cameras in approximately 482 communities across the nation “has led to wide variations in automated traffic enforcement models.”
Loudermilk is slated to talk about his push to regulate the cameras in Georgia, including a 2008 law that requires an extra second for yellow lights at intersections monitored by the cameras. The delay cut fine revenue, leading some jurisdictions to abandon the operation as a financial drain.
The city of Rome cut a deal with Redflex that lets it continue to run cameras at Turner McCall Boulevard and Hicks Drive under a break-even contract.
The hearing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Other witnesses include representatives from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a road safety advocacy association and a motorist association.
I seriously doubt cops are bored enough to lie about speeders and those running red lights. That would just mean going to court to argue it and no one wants to bother with that. Regarding camera screw ups, sure it could happen, and so could democracy in North Korea.
Just be responsible for your actions and pay the ticket. I agree with the main point of the article in that there should be a standard operating proceedure in reference to these cameras being used. That just makes sense. But trying to get out of paying your fine is juvenile.
"I swear that light was PINK, officer!"
Are the people who run red lights criminals? I'm not sure. Are they a problem? Yes, of course; especially if their action injures another party. Should some enforcement action be taken to reduce red light running? Yes, of course. How about putting a cop with a camera on every corner? At least that way when the cop signs the ticket he isn't purgering himself, he actually did witness the offense.
Here's the problem as I see it. I am charged by an officer who didn't actually witness the offense. I can't question the only witness because cameras can't talk. There isn't any way to know if the camera failed and took the picture at the wrong time. The owner of the vehicle receives the citation not the operator. Try running a stop sign or speeding and insist that the officer write the ticket to someone other than you!
The biggest problem with red light cameras is actually how other, law abiding, divers react when they approach an intersection whether the intersection has cameras or not. As soon as the light turns yellow they slam on the brakes. That just isn't necessary and causes many rear-end collisions.
Educating the driving public as to how the cameras actually work could reduce a ot of these problems. But that won't legalize the cameras. A good attorney could beat all of these cases on constitutional grounds all day long. Problem is it would be expensive and most people opt to pay the ticket. Hence, the cities continue to rip-off the populace.
Citizens could be deputized for emergencies? Who is doing the deputizing and from what pool of citizens are they drawing from? Would you be suggesting that all citizens recieve law enforcement training? In a perfect world, sure, but it's awfully expensive. And I seriously doubt many citizens would jump at the chance to be deputized, prefering instead to "mind their own business". For those that would like to participate and potentially risk their lives in the process for what I imagine would be very little or no pay, I'd have to wonder what kind of people they are.
So in response to your last post, yes, what you are suggesting seems like a very short step towards everyone just taking the law into their own hands. And when I say that, in no way do I mean that you don't have the right to defend yourself, a loved one, or anyone else from an obvious physical attack.
However, I think we are beyond the point of "rustlin' up a posse" in order to catch the bad guys.
However, if you would be so kind as to read the rest of what I previously posted it should be evident that I fully support cameras monitoring red lights. Just so there's no confusion.
Last I checked, running a red light violates the law, just as (say) illegal immigration does. If we're going to be a nation of laws, we've got to hold to hold ourselves to the same standard that we hold others, and not only when it's convenient for us.
A person who runs a red light is indeed, in that instance at least, a criminal.
Regarding people slamming on their brakes, well quite frankly they should have been paying attention and slowing down when the yellow light comes on.
And Ms. Lee, it seems like what you are suggesting is vigilante justice. As much as I enjoyed the movie "Boondock Saints" such actions would undoubtably do more harm than good. With the relatively high population and area of Rome, without even counting the outerlying towns, your suggestion of only having a handfull of law enforcement officers is ridiculous at best. The Wild West may have had it's appeal, but I think we've come too far to backslide into such a culture now.