Posted on May 30, 2011 by Paul Henry
The fellow with the lamp in the picture above is Diogenes, who legend has it was looking for an honest man in ancient Greece. Many here in America have given up looking for an honest politician, but now there is hope. In a May 22, 2011 St. Petersburg Times news story about red light camera ticket defense attorney Ted Hollander, a city council member from Ft. Lauderdale was interviewed. Times are tough there according to this excerpt:
On the other hand, Fort Lauderdale's police chief reported in April that ticket revenues were "drastically'' falling each week as word spreads that judges are dismissing cases.
The city expected each of its six cameras to crank out 13 paying tickets per day, police Chief Frank Adderly told the City Commission. That's now down to five.
Meanwhile, costs are rising.
The city tasked two police aides with viewing the red light videos and approving the fines.
The aides are overwhelmed, spending three days a week either testifying or collecting documentation for court. With only two days left to work on video, they faced a 2,000-case backlog by March, Adderly said. If the city cannot mail citations within 60 days, as the law requires, it may have to dismiss them. Adderly asked for three more aides to keep up — almost one per camera.
Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom says she favors the cameras if someone can prove they save lives, but financially, "it's a boondoggle.''
The city expected to net $3 million after paying employee salaries and the camera vendor.
The current projection is $150,000, and that doesn't count city attorney time in court.
"It was packaged as a revenue generating item,'' Rodstrom said. "Now it appears that it may be costing us resources.''
Finally someone in elected office is telling the truth. When the camera companies (American Traffic Solutions/ATS, Redflex, etc.) literally sold this idea, revenue was the chief selling point, not safety.
If you still think this is not about money, ask why ATS has 14 lobbyists registered with our legislature? Their competitor Redflex has only one, and perhaps this is why ATS has a majority of the cameras in Florida. Incidentally, one of the ATS lobbyists is the former head of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), Electra Bustle. DHSMV oversees the camera program from the State of Florida's end of things.
Incidentally, we also have a good example of the ever-expanding cost of government. Let's follow the cycle here:
1) Camera company proposes red light cameras to free up police officers from traffic duty for more serious crimes or to actually have fewer officers since the cameras are so much more efficient (we know now that's not exactly how they were "packaged", but please follow along).
2) City/county signs contract with camera company, and the tickets hit the mail.
3) Astute defense attorney finds any number of defects with the manner in which the law is enforced. Many tickets are dismissed.
4) Word of #3 gets out. More vehicle owners go to court. Now there is a backlog of 2,000 tickets.
5) City needs more police officers (aides in this case, but it's still a salaried position) to reduce the backlog. So much for point #1.
Who has lost here? Aside from the vehicle owners that must prove the state's case, it is the taxpayer. Hey, that's me! Who has won here? That's easy really, it's the camera company.
In days gone by, a "snake oil salesman" was one that traveled selling magical cures for what ailed you. Wikipedia partially describes "snake oil" as
The expression is also applied metaphorically to any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable and/or unverifiable quality or benefit.
Sound familiar? Maybe it went something like this with Ft. Lauderdale:
Our cameras will generate $3 million dollars a year to your city, and that's after all expenses! But wait, there's more! Did we mention they're installed for free?
As time has gone by, it turns out that $3 million was in fact exaggerated marketing. As for an unverifiable benefit, read this:
Houston Accidents Down Since Red Light Cameras Shut Off
Excerpt:
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that since red light cameras were voted down and shut off in what is the 4th largest city in the US, accidents have decreased 16%. But weren’t we lead to believe that once the cameras go off, accidents skyrocket and there is carnage in the streets? Could someone at ATS please tell us how a 16% decrease in accidents is actually BAD? We’ll be waiting patiently.
I'm a slave to logical thinking, so these are more logical points as to why red light cameras as they exist are not good. Of course, I'm just one retired policeman with no lobbyists, so in the grand scope of things the above is meaningless… unless enough people read this and do something about it.
We'll have a chance to set this straight in the 2012 legislative session. I'm writing some legislation to restore the rights of motorists in Florida. It won't touch or ban the red light cameras, or traffic infraction detectors as they are called in statute. If someone gets a ticket in the mail and wants to pay it, then they're free to do so. If they don't, then when they go to court they will have the same rights as anyone else going to criminal court, and not face any excessive fines for simply exercising their right to due process. If our legislators vote for it, they are supporting the concepts of our constitution, which they took an oath to support and defend. If they don't, then what exactly are they supporting and defending? ATS perhaps?
About Paul Henry
Paul has a law enforcement background, having served as a Florida Deputy Sheriff and State Trooper for over 25 years until he retired. Paul worked many levels and positions within the FHP, from road patrol trooper to traffic homicide investigator, then sergeant with homicide squad oversight. His last 5 years were as a lieutenant in criminal investigations, where he investigated numerous internal, ID Theft, commercial vehicle theft, and driver license/title fraud cases. Paul is best known for the September 2003 capture of Florida's most wanted fugitive Walter Rhodes, who was involved in the 1976 murders of Trooper Phillip Black and Constable Donald Irwin in South Florida. Rhodes had absconded from parole and was hiding in Washington State under a false identity. After retirement, Paul wished to pursue his automotive hobby and be left alone, but saw an increasing amount of waste in government as well as the government's increasing involvement in our private lives and liberty, so he became politically active and remains so today.
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