4 ms·
I confess: I got a red light ticket. I did in fact run a red light; I was late for a lunch date. In my defense, I wasn't speeding, and I crossed the limit line
by inetsee 10y ago
I confess: I got a red light ticket. I did in fact run a red light; I was late for a lunch date. In my defense, I wasn't speeding, and I crossed the limit line a fraction of a second after the light had changed to red (and before the light for crossing traffic had changed to green).
The citation I got included photos from the traffic camera, before and after the light changed, clearly showing my vehicle and its license plate. The photographs had been viewed by a sworn employee of the police department, who signed off on the citation. I paid the ticket.
The only criticism I have of the procedures used by the police department where I lived was that there was no photograph showing that I was the one driving the vehicle.
From the article it sounds as if the municipality doesn't care about the law. It sounds as if the photographs from the traffic camera are being reviewed by an employee of a private company; the photographs are not being provided to the driver (and may not even be provided to the police), there are no photographs showing the driver of the vehicle, and the police and court are ignoring any exculpatory evidence, and there is no procedure to refund the appeal bond!
This city (and many more) are relying on the difficulty of fighting these kinds of citations to gain unjustified revenue by ignoring peoples rights.
- 11thEarlOfMar 10y agoI have a similar story with a different ending. I allegedly made a right turn on red without stopping. That's running a red light. My car was on video, which I could watch online. The front bumper of the car allegedly crossed the white line 400 milliseconds after the light turned red. I paid an attorney $300. He took all the standard legal means to delay the trial so that if he lost, the ticket wouldn't affect my insurance until the next year, thereby delaying a price increase. He wound up getting me an acquittal because the driver (allegedly me) was wearing sunglasses. The judge accepted his argument that, due to the sunglasses obscuring my eyes, the city could not conclusively determine that I was the driver.
- inetsee 10y agoI would like to add that I have no fundamental objection to red light cameras when properly used. Police have been using technology in law enforcement for a long time. I am in favor of anything that prevents innocent people from even being charged with a crime in the first place. I would have no problem with a red light system operated by the police department, with cameras clearly showing the traffic light, the limit line, the vehicle and its license plate, and the driver, with the photos being reviewed by a sworn member of the police department. And the photos should be provided to the driver with the citation.