Lets get to the real issue here and the truth is below from a police chief. When I first started in this job thirty years ago, police work was never about revenue enhancement, Utica Police Chief Michael Reaves told the Detroit News. But if youre a chief now, you have to look at whether your department produces revenues. Thats just the reality nowadays. Nothing produces bizarre behavior quite as reliably as an inappropriate economic incentive, whether were talking about the infamous Sec 179 SUV tax deduction or every Aerosmith album after, and including, Permanent Vacation. Is it any surprise, therefore, that most police departments have, over time, shifted their focus away from crimes that dont pay them in favor of those that do? Murder, rape, theft, vandalism, assaultall offenses that require considerably more effort than apprehending a 44-in-a-35, and none of them containing the kind of guaranteed municipal vigorish that can be garnished from a hapless motorist. Theres a fine associated with virtually every criminal activity in the United States, from oral sodomy to aggravated murder. But the fines are rarely levied and even more rarely collected. Its fairly difficult to wring ten grand out of someone who just got done serving a decade in prison, and even tougher to collect from someone sitting on Death Row. The motorist, by contrast, is an easy mark who almost always pays his fine and who can be cited with a trivial amount of effort. With the advent of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and red-light cameras, its no longer even necessary to have a cop present.
Anyone know what the next step in the process may be? o No: Mine was bumped to $125 and they are threatening "civil" action. Doesn't sound too civil to me.......:laugh: If it was $50 I'd have paid it but $100 for driving in the right lane with cars all around me (and passing me!) is a joke......:blast: We were actually looking for a place to spend money in THEIR town.............not again.
The problem i have is....yeah,i might have been over the limit at those cameras......they got me.......the first morning of the event......but how is it fair to me and others who did not get another the rest of the event when others who got several tickets got theirs reduced to just one........that's a 75% reduction in their penalty and they are the ones who broke the "law" the most and endangered the local populace the most :Smarty: Peace WildBill
Baiting people on this thread is your idea of having fun, fine. Most won't bite because they're smarter than that here at V8Buick. You'll figure that out soon. No "deep rooted issues" just 50+ years of experience with them in all sorts of situations and to be perfectly honest I will say about 40% are not fit for the job. You have no idea how much experience I have with them or how niave you are about them son. You're adoration of LE's is your choice and I'll fight for your right to choice. Is it a thank less job? Yep! Do they place their lives on the line everyday? Yes they do! They knew that going in though so that doesn't buy them special dispensation. Are they underpaid? You bet, way underpaid! That is why there are sooooo many LE's who don't have the brains or aptitude for the job (goofs) and they are the ones giving all LE's a bad rep with their abuse of their authority. LE's deserve to be paid twice what they are now so they can draw from a better gene pool. Do they deserve respect? All people deserve respect! I don't dislike LE's per-se just the ones who are bullys because of a badge, who are cowards otherwise. As far as an LE protecting my family in my house from a perp who intends bodily harm shows how niave you really are. The LE will never show up in time. I was Army, my wife is a Marine and our children accompany us to the range are fully instructed in gun handling and safety and my son hunts. No perp is ever going to walk out of our house after threatening my family (too many people he/she will have to deal with). My kids know; they can and have our support to defend themselves with deadly force if they have no other way out. I really feel sorry for the perp who believes that sweet woman who is my wife won't empty the clip in them. Why did you assume I call them names other than cop or officer? The one's I refer to as "goofs" earned that name. Are you having fun yet? Mikey
One of my brethern has leaped on the City in a class action. This is your best chance for resolution. The outstanding claims may be waived as a part of a class action settlement. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20091110/NEWS01/91110030
"Civil action"...that's a joke, if it's not "criminal" then I wouldn't be too concerned, and I agree, that class-action lawsuit sounds like the best plan of action. When it hits them in the pocketbook, they'll think twice about coming after all these poor people that got these B.S. tickets. It's gonna cost them a lot of money to defend a big class-action suit, and I bet they'll waive the white flag on this one as soon as they see the writing on the wall.
I guess what it all boils down to is that WE ALL need to pay more attention to what's going on, including our speeds. I drove a '71 Riv. around & probably put about 500 miles on it going back & forth to the track & other places. The speedo DIDN'T work & the owner of the car got NO tickets in the mail. We were all forwarned about the cameras.
Haha, actually I have been opposed to these things the whole time. Cops write tickets as part of the job, but certainly (speaking for myself and, dare I say, a lot of others) don't get any enjoyment out of seeing people receive citations for anything, especially this crap. This is nothing but a revenue-generator that actually makes more money for the camera companies than anyone else!!! Private industry has NO business in government of any type, there are just way too many opportunities for corruption.
Best thread in a long time! I've recently relocated to Edmonton AB; & photo radar has been prevalant here for almost a decade. 'Tho everyone I talk to hates it, the only time I ever remember any serious discussion on the subject was when the local PD was writing SO MANY tickets, that MultaNova (the company that supplied the cameras) gave the city an award for...well, writing a record amount of tickets! Talk about lousy optics... I think even the most naive citizen in favour of these damned things finally figured out what the real reason was at that point...REVENUE! I've always thought setting REALISTIC speed limits & omitting "fishing holes" would remove the "revenue" aspect...speed limits have been traditionally set at about the 85th percentile of projected "driveability" of the road in question...watching sections of a freeway suddenly marked down to 60 or 70 km/hr is a pretty good tipoff that something is amiss...a parked "photo radar" van in that area is another one! Another great trick up here is to move the speed limit signs on the exit ramps BACK a couple hundred feet, & expect a person to slow down 30 or 40 km/hr almost instantly....strangely, the photo radar vans are waiting nearby as well...hmmm :af: I always remember something my parents told me decades ago re: traffic laws...assuming most people are law-abiding (& they are; 99% of people are never going to have an encounter with the "justice system", or perhaps more appropriately; the "legal industry" with the exception of traffic bylaws) the passing of a law (or laws) that ensures almost everyone will break it at one time or another does not mean these people are now criminals...it means our authority figures have made a STUPID LAW! One last thing; despite all the talk about "safety" & "excess speed" causing accidents and being a rationale for these insidious photo radar devices, I don't think the accident rate per mile driven has gone anywhere (up or down) in the last 40 yrs. :beers2:
Mike, I found your sense of humor a little on the wry side, just the way I like it.:beer I definitely agree with much of what you stated, and I don't like photo radar either.
I found this post on yellowbullet and it reminded of this thread. http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160815&highlight=mopar You really need to see it to believe it.
I recieved the same thing in the mail for my Lilburn,Ga. redlight "citation" notice. Twice. That was a year ago. File 13. Haven't heard anything since. Just ignore it. It will go away. They have no real proof or recourse.:TU:
Well i guess i should start waiting for mine........don't look like i will be staying or spending any of my money in Heath Ohio this summer........anyone that wants an alternate place to stay,contact me as that will be the Alt. BPG home base............. "Camp Freedom from Larceny" p Peace WildBill
Keep an eye on your credit report. Collection agencies do report to them. This could turn into a 30 then 60 then 90 day late and have big time ramifications to your credit score. It may already be to late and considered 90 days late! http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Banking/Yourcreditrating/P121551.asp
Ha Ha Ha........what credit.......Davis you travel with me.......i ain't got no credit. Peace WildBill
