Traffic cameras do a job

What's wrong with using video cameras at traffic lights and other public places for law enforcement purposes? And please don't drag out poor old George Orwell and '1984.' How many times have you seen someone run a red light blowing through an intersection, and you say to yourself, 'Geez, I wish a cop saw that!' Does it really make a difference ...

[Stacey]

Outsourcing of law enforcement is a breeding ground for corruption. The incentive to rob people is in the profits the tickets generate. Kickbacks and offers of high paying jobs with photo radar companies are being reported here and in other countries.

Cities, including Paradise Valley, Dallas, Lubbock, Baytown, Beaverton, Union City, Springfield, and Chattanooga, have all been caught shortening yellow lights to increase profits from red light cameras. Bethesda left a yellow light at a photo radar intersection at 2.7 seconds for a year after the public complained, even though every other yellow light on the street was 4 seconds.

The reason why short yellow lights create a trap for people driving is that short yellow lights create an "impossible to stop" zone in which a certain percentage of people approaching an intersection become caught in the dilemma of not being able to stop safely before the light turns red, and not being able to cross into the intersection without technically running a red light.

http://www.motorists.org :80/blog/6-cities-that-were-ca ught-shortening-yellow-light-t imes-for-profit/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/12/eve...
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/5...
http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale...

In Italy, a speed camera company was caught in a fraud scandal that involved 109 officials and contractors. Italian police found 81,555 speed camera tickets worth $16 million were fraudulently issued. Prosecutors believe that some of these cameras were calibrated in such a way that motorists adhering to the speed limit would receive citations. Photo radar units bearing the same individual serial number were also being used by different municipalities located hundreds of miles apart. Thus preventing proper calibration testing requirements. As a result,$16 million fraudulently issued tickets, between 2007 and 2009, have been cancelled, refunds will be given and license points will be removed.

In January, the makers of the T-Red brand of red light cameras were similarly arrested for fraud after prosecutors found motorists were being trapped at intersections with short yellows and improperly certified equipment
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/27/2795.asp#...

Based out of Phoenix, Australian corporation Redflex violated federal law by using radar units that were not FCC certified.

In 2008, Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer confirmed that Redflex documents used to convict motorists of speeding in Lafayette, Louisiana contained elements that had been falsified. Four Arizona laws were violated while purporting to certify a speed camera deployment form for use in official hearings.
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2464.asp

Arizona Sheriff Babeu says, "It's driven to create money for the government. It's corrupting law enforcement for us to be partnered with a private entity that creates revenue - clearly that's their interest."

http://files.meetup.com/1275333/15%20reasons%...

[Stacey]

Just in case you didn't get it all the first time. lol