Attack Of The Red-Light Camera!

December 12th, 2007 Posted in Red-Light Cameras

bigredlight In Santa Cruz, California, a red-light camera has taken on a life of its own.  The camera, installed last month at an intersection near the mall, is suffering from a serious glitch. 

The camera has begun flashing sporadically, startling drivers and panicking others. 

According to Police Chief Richard Ehle, “it’s going nuts.”

The camera, which was moved from a previous location, is apparently hypersensitive to traffic flow.  As a result the camera is snapping photos of holiday shoppers that turn right on red-which is legal at this intersection.  When the cars gently roll ahead anticipating the green light before making the right turns, the camera is snapping a photo. 

This combined with other scenarios has the camera working overtime according to the police chief.  Local police are then forced to look through the video footage to determine who actually broke the law and who is a victim of the camera gone wild.

Police Chief Ehle said, “fifty to 60 percent of the photos are drivers who did nothing illegal.”  Neighborhood employees say the camera flashing “is happening to everybody.”  

The department is said to be working on fixing the camera. In the meantime, drivers who are unfairly ticketed will need to call the police department, view the video and have it determined that they did not break the law.  If the ticket was issued in error, it will be rescinded according to Ehle.

But what about the drivers who receive a ticket, assume that they have done something wrong, and just pay the fine to avoid the hassle?  What are the chances the police department will go out of their way to notify them that their ticket was issued in error?

It begs the question: If everyone knows that the camera is broken, then why don’t they shut it down until it can be fixed? 

Perhaps the $300-$400 fine from unsuspecting drivers is just too good to pass up.

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  1. 9 Responses to “Attack Of The Red-Light Camera!”

  2. By Dave Dragon on Dec 12, 2007

    Traffic Greed Cameras are a scourge and we would all be better without them.

    Of course, Big Brother will disagree.

  3. By Stephen on Dec 12, 2007

    One day these infernal devices will be gone. And that day cannot come soon enough!

  4. By ally on Dec 12, 2007

    Lots of vested interests out there

  5. By kyle on Dec 12, 2007

    what happened to the government being by the people for the people

  6. By Enoch Drebber on Dec 16, 2007

    If 60% of the photos taken by the camera are not violations of the law, then the photo is no t probable cause to suspect a traffic violation.

    It’s unconstitutional to issue the ticket until the evidence is reviewed to determine a violation actually occurred.

  7. By Cameron on Dec 19, 2007

    As a police officer, I do not agree with these cameras. Mainly due to the fact that 80% of the time the registered owner of the vehicle is not the one driving it and when a ticket is issued, it is usually sent to the registered owner on the tag. I feel strongly that total probable cause to believe that a crime has been or is being committed should exist before anyone is issued a citation. Too many innocent people are getting tickets and then having to waste precious time going to court over a ticket they should not have gotten in the first place.

  8. By Eileen on Jan 20, 2008

    In San Diego, at the intersection of Camino De La Reina and Mission Center Road are signs posted that the intersection has Red Light cameras. There are NO, I repeat NO red light cameras at this intersection unless they have a cloaking device. It is the absolute worst intersection in the entire city. Drivers turning east off Mission Center Road continue to run the red. Drivers heading north on Mission Center Road take their life in their own hands if they dare to proceed when they have the green light.

    This is worse than having an actual camera there!

  9. By Milton Clowers on Feb 23, 2008

    Mechanization and automation must be good things. Right? After all they brought consistent quality to the auto industry. Well, fatory automation does not force itself on individuals’ rights as do red light cameras and automated speed calculation systems. These devices remove the human judgement required to determine not only whether a law has been broken but whether or not it was avoidable. An officer watching you apporach an intersection at the speed limit pulling a 12,000 pound boat on a wet road can determine not only the extent to which you violated the law but also whether it was avoidable. A camera will only issue a ticket to the owner of the boat trailer who was waiting at the dock for his cousin, who was kind enough to use his truck, to deliver the boat. Further, these systems clearly, CLEARLY practice a policy of guilty intil proven innocent. There’s simply no other way to describe that!

  10. By Robert on Apr 15, 2008

    This is in response to Eileen Jan 20 2008.I was just caught on a red light camera in Encinitas Ca. Similarly, I thought that when a sign was posted that said “photo enforced” just before an intersection, that the very next intersection would be the one equipped with the camera. This is not necessarily true. After a little poking around i discovered that the vehicle code “suggests” putting signage at or near the monitored intersection, but allows a city to simply put signs at “major” entrances to the city. As is the case in Encinitas, after seeing a sign, the monitored intersection may be 3 or 4 lights ahead and that could literally be miles away from the sign. The sign simply alerts drivers that this particular CITY uses photo enforcement at SOME of its intersections, YOU figure out which ones. This may or may not be the same situation described by Eileen above, but i assumed that the very next intersection after a sign meant that it was the one and that’s simply not the case. It looks like i’m going to have to pony up the dough this time. :(

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