A pattern of the RLC LIE.  Stop Line scam been going on in some MD communties since 2009.  Successfully beaten in court in some cases!  (SEE 2009 article below the stop line scam article in Prince George County, MD http://www.banthecams.org/Red-Light-Camera-News/red-light-camera-debate-drivers-ticketed-for-stopping-over-the-white-line-stop-line-scam.html) 
http://www.stopbigbrothermd.org/2011/11/red-light-cameras-ticket-stopped-cars.html

Friday, November 18, 2011
Red Light Cameras Ticket Stopped Cars 
 
Cha-Ching!
Prince George's County Police are defending a policy of using red light cameras to ticket motorists who come to a full stop at intersections http://wusa9.com/news/article/175175/158/Red-Light-Camera-Debate-Drivers-Ticketed-For-Stopping-Over-The-White-Line just past the white 'stop line'.

Nolan Church said he received a ticket there for running a red light, in a location where the stop line was three car lengths away from the intersection.  "I absolutely stopped. I was stopped."  County police respond that the stop line is placed where it is to leave space for emergency vehicles.  AAA Spokesman John Townsend disagreed "What the municipality did was to expand the crosswalk. To entrap and ensnare people."

Under Maryland law it is a technical violation of the law to come to stop at a red light past the stop line, even if the car does not enter the intersection or the crosswalk.  However in some cases the stop line is place several car lengths prior to the crosswalk, giving many drivers the impression that they can proceed farther.  In some cases motorists may wish to see into the intersection in order to make turns (for safety), or the driver may simply miscalculate their stopping distance.

Most people are unaware that at some intersections the large majority of red light camera citations are for these 'technical violations' which have almost no chance of causing an accident, rather than 'straight through' red light running -- until they receive such a ticket themselves.  Stop line violations can greatly outnumber actual red-light running violations, so ticketing for such offenses increases the profitability of a red light camera system, both for the municipalities and the contractors who are paid based on the number of citations.

In Maryland red light camera tickets typically carry a $75 fine, with an implied threat to increase the penalty to $100 if the violation is challenged, discouraging many from contesting tickets.  Some violations issued by municipalities such as New Carrolton, which have a policy of using cameras to issue stop line tickets, have been successfully challenged in court. http://www.stopbigbrothermd.org/2009/03/judge-throws-out-new-carrollton-scamera.html

2009 Article:  http://www.stopbigbrothermd.org/2009/03/judge-throws-out-new-carrollton-scamera.html

Saturday, March 21, 2009
Judge Throws Out New Carrollton Scamera Tickets
A Prince George’s County District Court has thrown out several red light tickets http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/032009_new_carrollton_red_light_cameras  issued under New Carrollton’s Red Light Camera Scam http://www.stopbigbrothermd.org/2009/03/maryland-red-light-cameras-caught.html after deciding that the city did not have evidence that the accused drivers had run a red light. The drivers challenged the citations after seeing that they had received a ticket stating that they had “run a red light”, while showing that they in fact were not moving. The citations said nothing about “crossing a white line” or “entering a crosswalk”.

New Carrollton Mayor Pro-Tem James Wildoner defended the practice in an interview with Fox 5 News, and said anyone who got a ticket for crossing the white line should “just pay the ticket”. Wilborner pointed out that, under transportation article 21-202, drivers are supposed to stop before the white line. HOWEVER transportation article 21-202.1 is in fact the section of maryland transporation code which permits the use of red light cameras, and it includes the following
(5) "Traffic control signal monitoring system" means a device with one or more motor vehicle sensors working in conjunction with a traffic control signal to produce recorded images of motor vehicles (BOLD) entering an intersection against a red signal indication.
The transportation article also states that the court is considering evidence that a vehicle "passed through the intersection". Article 21-202 also distinguishes between the intersection itself and the white line or the crosswalks. Courts accept red light camera tickets only because article 21-202.1 lowers the burden of proof on that specific offense and states that for that specific offense they are admissible without witnesses capable of exercising human judgment. Moreover neither Maryland Transportation Article 21-202 nor 21-202.1 specify any penalty entering a crosswalk of stopping past the white line.

Despite the fact that the court did not agree with his interpretation of the law, and despite the fact that they are forcing drivers to choose between getting into rear end collision or side impact collision if they want to avoid getting a ticket, the Mayor Pro-Tem Wildoner assures that the city’s practice will continue. This is no doubt in hopes that most drivers will not take the time to challenge them.

AAA has stated that they plan to file an injunction to stop the the cameras, according to the interview with Fox 5 News. In an interview with the Gazette http://www.gazette.net/stories/03262009/landnew192133_32476.shtml, AAA Spokesman John Townson cited the fact that Federal Highway Safety Administration's Red Light Camera Systems Operational Guidelines specify that "the second photograph in a two-photograph red light camera system should be taken after a vehicle has entered an intersection" and said it is "malfeasance" on the part of New Carrollton's police department to run the program. A total of 15 red light citations were thrown out in one March 18th district court hearing.

These red light cameras were also vigorously defended by New Carrollton's Police Chief David Rice, who is currently under investigation by state police and the FBI over unrelated charges.  http://www.bowiestar.com/stories/10222008/landnew175513_32470.shtml

New Carrollton first proposed installing red light cameras on these roadways in February of 2000, when one city council member was quoted by the Gazette as saying "I say we move forward and investigate it to the fullest. It's a sure, good revenue source."  http://www.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2000/200006/lanham/news/a5043-1.html

New Carrollton's red light cameras are currently operated by OptoTraffic, a subsidiary of Sigma Space Corporation [ref]. Sigma space retained the lobbying firm "Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan & Silver, LLC" to advocate in favor of "speed monitoring and red light system" legislation in Annapolis in 2007 and 2008, according to online ethics disclosure forms.

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