City issued speed camera ticket to motionless car

Link

The Baltimore City speed camera ticket alleged that the four-door Mazda wagon was going 38 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone — and that owner Daniel Doty owed $40 for the infraction. But the Mazda wasn't speeding. It wasn't even moving. The two photos printed on the citation as evidence of speeding show the car was idling at a red light with its brake lights illuminated. A three-second video clip also offered as evidence shows the car motionless, as traffic flows by on a cross street. The camera that wrongly ticketed Doty on April 24 is in Northeast Baltimore in the 1700 block of E. Cold Spring Lane, at the intersection with Hillen Road. It is the seventh city speed camera that The Baltimore Sun has shown to have produced inaccurate citations bearing erroneous speed readings.

If this doesn't prove that the whole camera thing is a farce, I don't know what will. This is nothing but a hidden money grab, another tax on hapless motorists who cannot even really challenge the citations because they are refused their right to confront their accuser. The ability to confront your accuser is an extremely important part of our justice system. How do you confront a machine that is programmed to rig the evidence against you? According to the article, 1 officer reviews ~1,200 citations each day! How can any officer come to a accurate conclusion when reviewing over 100 citations each hour? Traffic cameras need to be outlawed and all fines ever paid need to be refunded. All points and infractions removed. I think jail time might even be warranted for the corrupt officials who approved this travesty against justice.

guilty until proven innocent, isn't it? If all else fails they can still make it a ten mph zone 'for your safety' and maybe even switch speed limits back and forth in random intervals, so even if these devices were more reliable, you'd stell get fleeced - which is their real primary purpose.

reply to post by Long Lance
Exactly right! This has nothing to do with "safety" and everything to do with separating you from your money.

Traffic cameras need to be outlawed and all fines ever paid need to be refunded. All points and infractions removed.

Would the alternative of having more militaristic cops conducting more traffic stops, with the likely hood of being Tasered for questioning their judgment be more agreeable for you?

Further, will the public refund all the lives saved and accidents prevented by people thinking twice about their speed?

No system is perfect.

I am all for reduction in surveillance, but you sound like a person who has been caught many times by these systems.

this is all covered by plausible deniabilty , and is all part of their plan. if only one in a hundred catch on and dont just pay up , they are still raking in the cash. most people would rather just pay , than to have to deal with the system in order to right a wrong.

Originally posted by MDDoxs

I am all for reduction in surveillance, but you sound like a person who has been caught many times by these systems.

Nope, just once at a red light camera where I had to go in order to avoid being rear-ended. The camera did not show that though. My saving grace was that a cop actually saw the incident and pulled over the other driver. I was able to subpoena him and get his testimony which resulted in me not having to pay the ticket. Had a cop not been there, I would have been unjustly accused and unable to plead my case. The right to confront your accuser is part of the bedrock of our legal system and needs to be retained.

I haven't run into any speed cameras here in Texas, but red-light cameras are all over the place.
I got a citation, viewed the video & showed up on court day, ticket dismissed - basically they're just trolling to see how many "pay up" or fight the charges. I understand they don't issue citations in the City of Dallas due to a lawsuit filed by a lawyer claiming rights violations.

ganjoa

reply to post by ganjoa


Whoever told you that was lying to you. I live in Dallas. I have gotten them. Oh and we don't have the speeding cameras here in Dallas, but about 15 minutes away in Arlington, where they built the new Cowboys stadium?? Watch the hell out! Those things are freakin everywhere along with the red light cameras... oh and I heard, can't remember where, that on game days the city of Arlington has a drone they fly too. I don't go to Arlington anymore.