Cops using Traffic Cams - BS Tickets!

> Post in rec.autos.driving for more expert advice, there's
> plenty of people there who have beaten similar tickets
> (one such defence being to note that the timing of
> the yellow light is illegal).

Maybe one of you experts can help me...
A couple weeks back, my wife and I hired a sitter to watch
the kids, and I took her out for dinner (we were planning on
a movie too, but I had a little too much to drink, so we just
called it a night after dinner.)

Anyway, on the way home... we're approaching a traffic
light in the middle of nowhere... we are the only car on the
road going in ANY direction, but as we get close, the light
turns yellow.

We were too close to stop safely, but too far to make the
light, so she sped up a little to make sure we were through
on time. Now I KNOW for a fact that light was yellow
when we went through, because we were both watching
and waiting for it to change. Not only were we over the
line, we were through the intersection before it changed!

So yesterday, my wife gets a ticket in the mail! It's got
a tiny black and white picture of us going through the
light and if you look close, you can even see us looking
up at the light as we go by! They want her to sign the
ticket and mail it back with a check for $150. WTF?

I call the police station to complain and argue, and I'm
told if I want a better quality picture I can come in and
for $20 they'll give me a bigger & in color picture (what
kind of rip off is that?) I could tell there was a reflection
on our hood in the B&W, so I decided to go down and
buy the picture to see if it showed what I thought it would...
and sure as ****, you can clearly see the YELLOW light
on the hood of our car as we went through the light.

I demanded my $20 back and that the ticket be dismissed,
but they wouldn't give me my $20 *and* the picture (which
I need as proof) and claimed that only a judge could dismiss
the ticket - which is absolute bull****! Why the **** can't
they just tear it up if they know they screwed up?!?

Major pain in the ass... any of you lawyer folks know if
we can sue the police or something? Isn't it against the law
to file a false police report? They knew the light was yellow
when they wrote the ticket, can we get anything for that?

Here's a link to the picture, evidence that we didn't run
a red light: http://i37.tinypic.com/2ppa4y8.jpg

What do you think? Do I have a case?

On 2008-10-30, Mark B [Diputsur] > wrote:

> I call the police station to complain and argue, and I'm
> told if I want a better quality picture I can come in and
> for $20 they'll give me a bigger & in color picture (what
> kind of rip off is that?) I could tell there was a reflection
> on our hood in the B&W, so I decided to go down and
> buy the picture to see if it showed what I thought it would...
> and sure as ****, you can clearly see the YELLOW light
> on the hood of our car as we went through the light.
>
> I demanded my $20 back and that the ticket be dismissed,
> but they wouldn't give me my $20 *and* the picture (which
> I need as proof) and claimed that only a judge could dismiss
> the ticket - which is absolute bull****! Why the **** can't
> they just tear it up if they know they screwed up?!?
>
> Major pain in the ass... any of you lawyer folks know if
> we can sue the police or something? Isn't it against the law
> to file a false police report? They knew the light was yellow
> when they wrote the ticket, can we get anything for that?

Not a lawyer folk, just part of the driving folk... The whole process is
a scam. I approach RLC intersections very slowly. I don't even do a
right on red. I slam on my brakes for the yellow. People behind me? They
can go complain to the government that set up the scamra. Government
considers the cameras to be run FLAWLESSLY by their contractor who
generally gets paid by the ticket. Public-private partnership in its
purest form. It's a mafia style operation. In return being allowed to
operate the cameras the camera company gives the local government a
piece of the action. Now often it's structured to mask that basic
premise, but in the end, that's what it is. Where government is forced
to pay the contractor a set fee regardless of the number of tickets
written and forced to make sure the camera operates properly and that
the intersection has a proper length yellow signal, the cameras are
MONEY LOSERS and removed after the contract expires.

> What do you think? Do I have a case?

Under what condition of law? The government is lawless and your 'case'
(if the typical structure is in place) will be heard not by a judge, but
by an employee of the government. Well both are employees of the
government but those hearing cases in adminstrative court are not
judges, merely people working in a judge like role but they are paid
much as the cop or sewer worker is. The law isn't what it
reads to be what he says it is. It's pre-magna-carta justice system.
There is usually an additional fee for fighting or for fighting and
losing, and most people lose because this has nothing to do with
'justice' only bringing in revenue for the state under threat of
violence.

So yes you have a case. Will you win with clear evidence of innocence?
It's a toss up.

"Mark B [Diputsur]" > wrote in message
...
> > Post in rec.autos.driving for more expert advice, there's
> > plenty of people there who have beaten similar tickets
> > (one such defence being to note that the timing of
> > the yellow light is illegal).
>
> Maybe one of you experts can help me...
> A couple weeks back, my wife and I hired a sitter to watch
> the kids, and I took her out for dinner (we were planning on
> a movie too, but I had a little too much to drink, so we just
> called it a night after dinner.)
>

What did your wife think of that? -Dave

On Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:02:16 -0400, "Mark B [Diputsur]"
> wrote:


<< snip >>

>Major pain in the ass... any of you lawyer folks know if
>we can sue the police or something? Isn't it against the law
>to file a false police report? They knew the light was yellow
>when they wrote the ticket, can we get anything for that?
>
>Here's a link to the picture, evidence that we didn't run
>a red light: http://i37.tinypic.com/2ppa4y8.jpg
>
>What do you think? Do I have a case?

Up front, I am not a lawyer, so any advice you get in this reply is
worth what you paid for it.

Now, then, is that all they have on you? Just looking at that, for all
I know, that could be one of those flashing yellow lights that you see
at some intersectioons. Are there any other pictures (I don't exactly
see anything in that shot that looks to be of where a license plate
would be?

The cops case sounds like total bull**** to me - based on the
information given. And that they demanded US$20.00 from you inorder to
get that picture sounds like extortion to me. But then, cops being
cops, the law apparently doesn't apply to them - right, jaybird?

--
Never forget the Golden Rule:
He who has the Gold makes the Rules.

"necromancer" > wrote in
message ...
> On Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:02:16 -0400, "Mark B [Diputsur]"
> > wrote:
>
>
> << snip >>
>
> >Major pain in the ass... any of you lawyer folks know if
> >we can sue the police or something? Isn't it against the law
> >to file a false police report? They knew the light was yellow
> >when they wrote the ticket, can we get anything for that?
> >
> >Here's a link to the picture, evidence that we didn't run
> >a red light: http://i37.tinypic.com/2ppa4y8.jpg
> >
> >What do you think? Do I have a case?
>
> Up front, I am not a lawyer, so any advice you get in this reply is
> worth what you paid for it.
>
> Now, then, is that all they have on you? Just looking at that, for all
> I know, that could be one of those flashing yellow lights that you see
> at some intersectioons. Are there any other pictures (I don't exactly
> see anything in that shot that looks to be of where a license plate
> would be?
>
> The cops case sounds like total bull**** to me - based on the
> information given. And that they demanded US$20.00 from you inorder to
> get that picture sounds like extortion to me. But then, cops being
> cops, the law apparently doesn't apply to them - right, jaybird?
>
I think you've all been had. Look a little closer at the picture.

On Oct 31, 1:16*am, "Tim B" > wrote:
>
> I think you've all been had. Look a little closer at the picture.

Thanks a lot. I was hoping to see a few more from r.a.d. swallow
hook, line and sinker, and reel, and pole, and boat...
-----

- gpsman

"Dave" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mark B [Diputsur]" > wrote in message
> ...
>> > Post in rec.autos.driving for more expert advice, there's
>> > plenty of people there who have beaten similar tickets
>> > (one such defence being to note that the timing of
>> > the yellow light is illegal).
>>
>> Maybe one of you experts can help me...
>> A couple weeks back, my wife and I hired a sitter to watch
>> the kids, and I took her out for dinner (we were planning on
>> a movie too, but I had a little too much to drink, so we just
>> called it a night after dinner.)
>>
>
> What did your wife think of that? -Dave

She didn't mind... my wife isn't the sharpest
knife in the drawer. She drives an automatic,
but if I get a couple drinks in her I can trick
her into thinking it's a stick shift!!!

On 2008-10-31, Tim B > wrote:
>
> "necromancer" > wrote in
> message ...
>> On Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:02:16 -0400, "Mark B [Diputsur]"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>> << snip >>
>>
>> >Major pain in the ass... any of you lawyer folks know if
>> >we can sue the police or something? Isn't it against the law
>> >to file a false police report? They knew the light was yellow
>> >when they wrote the ticket, can we get anything for that?
>> >
>> >Here's a link to the picture, evidence that we didn't run
>> >a red light: http://i37.tinypic.com/2ppa4y8.jpg
>> >
>> >What do you think? Do I have a case?
>>
>> Up front, I am not a lawyer, so any advice you get in this reply is
>> worth what you paid for it.
>>
>> Now, then, is that all they have on you? Just looking at that, for all
>> I know, that could be one of those flashing yellow lights that you see
>> at some intersectioons. Are there any other pictures (I don't exactly
>> see anything in that shot that looks to be of where a license plate
>> would be?
>>
>> The cops case sounds like total bull**** to me - based on the
>> information given. And that they demanded US$20.00 from you inorder to
>> get that picture sounds like extortion to me. But then, cops being
>> cops, the law apparently doesn't apply to them - right, jaybird?
>>
> I think you've all been had. Look a little closer at the picture.

I didn't even look at it before. it's not like a faulty RLC is unheard
of though.

On Oct 30, 11:18*pm, gpsman > wrote:
> On Oct 31, 1:16*am, "Tim B" > wrote:
>
>
>
> > I think you've all been had. Look a little closer at the picture.
>
> Thanks a lot. *I was hoping to see a few more from r.a.d. swallow
> hook, line and sinker, and reel, and pole, and boat...
> *-----
>
> - gpsman

Didn't look at the picture but been wondering as I read. IIRC _every_
RLC camera shows both the car _and_ the traffic light. No need to be
looking for reflections.

Harry K

On 2008-10-31, Harry K > wrote:

> Didn't look at the picture but been wondering as I read. IIRC _every_
> RLC camera shows both the car _and_ the traffic light. No need to be
> looking for reflections.

That picture always exists, but what one gets in mail may be different.
I do recall instances where one had to pay to get the better photos.