Time Magazine – “Big Brother Backlash”

The CameraFRAUD meetup group was mentioned in this piece by Time Magazine’s “Moneyland.”

With bills like SCR 1029 making their way through state legislatures in Arizona, Iowa, Colorado and Florida to name a few in 2012, the citizen backlash is being felt by politicians everywhere on the state level.

The question is, are they listening?

Read entire article at moneyland.time.com.

Syracuse Says No to Redflex, ATS

Courtesy of WarOnDriving.com:

Syracuse Scraps Plan for 50 Red Light Cameras

More and more cities are now using caution before wantonly installing red light cameras, which have proven over decades to have no safety benefit.

Sure, all the money from Redflex and American Traffic Solutions (ATS) lobbyists is still appealing, but they tend not to donate to those who’ve lost their jobs after thwarting public will.

Syracuse, NY is the latest to take a wise step back and examine the situation before dotting their public roads with Big Brother.

The city had been listening to bid from multiple vendors, which included both Redflex and ATS.

Mayor of Syracuse Stephanie Minor’s chief of staff Bill Ryan was quoted as saying, “As other cities are running away from this, why would we run into it?”

Top 10 CameraFRAUD Stories From 2010 – Part I

News in the world of scameras was everywhere in 2010. It would be nearly impossible to cover it all, but we’d first like to thank our friends from across the country for providing endless info and effort to push back on the fraud that is photo ticketing. Our right sidebar is where you’ll find links to their websites filled with stories of volunteers fighting the same good fight that we have been since 2008 in Arizona.

Collectively we accomplished a lot in 2010, but what’s coming in 2011 will more than likely be even bigger and better, so get ready.

In the first part of this look back, we’ll give you  stories #10 – #6. Tuesday will feature the top 5.

10. The Easter Bunny “Eggs Photo Radar.”

On the day before Easter, Shelton was on the scene at the intersection of Rural and University in Tempe to film an unknown person dressed up like the Easter Bunny “doing the job that Arizona State Legislature” refused to do in 2010. The egg definitely spoiled some serious profits for Redflex

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9. Stats from all over show that cameras create more dangerous intersections and roadways.

Time and time again, statistics from independent studies and state departments of transportation show that camera installation is associated with increased accidents. Here are a few more examples (of many) that were released in 2010.

Los Angeles

New Mexico

Baytown, TX

Winnipeg, Canada

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8. CameraFRAUD is covered by The Fox News Channel.

Because of the magnitude of the scamera issue, national news coverage is nothing new, but this report by the infamous news outlet in March covered angles that had been neglected by other national press.

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7. Paradise Valley photo radar and red light cam scam takes major heat.

Paradise Valley was the first municipality in the United States to adopt photo ticketing. The initiative to ban the cameras in that town began to expose politicians, law enforcement and judges who are what we call “scamera apologists.”

In September, Channel 10 gave us the chance to have a  debate with former Police Chief John Wintersteen who has a very cozy relationship with both Redflex and ATS.

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6. California begins to see through the red light camera rhetoric

Anaheim and Loma Linda saw major victories for the anti-photo ticketing movement. Anaheim was one of 5 cities that were able to vote on banning red light cameras and had the largest margin of victory with 73% casting their ballot to keep ATS’s automated ticketing machines out of their intersections.

Loma Linda city council was presented with clear evidence that red light cams are dangerous and signal timing is what actually increases safety. In an amazing display of common sense and public service, the cameras were taken down and an extra second added to yellow light times.

That city will undoubtedly see a decrease in collisions and more friendly intersections for motorists. Hopefully that action will serve as a model for many other municipalities who are actually trying to do the right thing and protect their citizens rights while increasing safety. This was the definition of win-win.

Come back Tuesday for our Top 5 stories from 2010!

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15-0 and Paradise Valley is Next to GO!

With all five ballot initiatives to ban scameras across the country being upheld, it looks like the word is getting out on a national level that photo ticketing programs are not wanted by the people. In fact, all 15 times photo ticketing has gone to a public vote, it has been banned by the citizens.

Paradise Valley Hidden Scamera Van

CameraFRAUD volunteers who collected signatures on election day (November 2nd) for the initiative to Ban Photo Ticketing and Redflex in Paradise Valley can tell you first-hand that residents of that town don’t want the scam on their streets either.

The Washington Times just posted an editorial about the issue and the fact that Big Brother keeps losing at the ballot box.

Excerpt:

It’s time for elected officials to park the photo-radar vans and pull down the intersection spy cameras. Aside from a gullible minority, you’re not fooling anyone. Republicans, Democrats and independents rarely agree on issues of public policy, but on this they speak with one voice. State legislatures in Arkansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin have listened to the people and adopted statewide laws prohibiting automated enforcement. It’s time for the rest of the states to give Big Brother his walking papers.

“Scariest Speed Camera of All” coming to Phoenix?

Actually, they’re already here because with the flip of a switch, the city of Phoenix can begin ticketing you for just about anything caught on Redflex intersection scameras and with speed camera vans.

The Daily Mail, a newspaper out of the UK is reporting on a camera that can ticket drivers across the pond for alleged unpaid taxes, insurance, unfastened seat belts, or even tailgating!

Page 29 of the Phoenix contract with Redflex has the provision for just this sort of abuse of technology. How soon before our checking accounts and credit cards are charged automatically after each “offense?”

More from The Daily Mail.

Courtesy of The Daily Mail UK

Say Hello to “Audio Enforcement”

…Just don’t say it too loudly, or with the wrong tone of voice: you might be subject to arrest.

In the never-ending quest for absolute control and monitoring of the general population by opportunistic government agencies and crony corporations, Raw Story presents a story from Europe which could only be called “audio enforcement.”

Dutch company Sound Intelligence installed microphones in train stations, government buildings, prisons, as well as “London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester” according to the article.

The technology supposedly operates by detecting “tone of voice” changes which may indicate a fight or other crime is about to take place. Just like the company’s cousins in the automated ticketing business, all privacy and civil liberty concerns are downplayed and ignored.

Photo enforcement and audio enforcement could go hand-in-hand. Redflex has a significant history in the area of audio technology: before primarily focusing on photo radar vans and “scameras,” the company specialized in secure communication links geared towards government and military applications.

In the United States, the technology may already be here in a different form. “Future Attribute Screening Technology,” a mobile checkpoint-in-a-van, is under development by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system uses a combination of microphones and high-definition cameras, combined with government agents who may ask questions such as “are you planning on bringing a bomb in the stadium today?”

Of course, the Department of Homeland Security is headed by former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, who spearheaded the beleaguered Redflex statewide photo enforcement program.

It’s becoming clearer with each passing day where the governments of supposedly free societies stand on civil liberties: with a jackboot on the throat of freedom.

Photo Yardwork Tickets Become Reality

What a "photo yardwork" ticket might look like.

Not satisfied with automated tickets for alleged traffic violations, Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions is boldly expanding their big-brother repertoire to go places never gone before:  directly to your house.

Known for their unpopular red-light and speed cameras, ATS will be managing a “litter enforcement program” in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to WBRZ News 2, the local ABC affiliate:

“15 workers are getting training on documenting blight with photographs and in generating warning letters and hearing notices to send to property owners.”

In other words, “photo yardwork” ticketing has arrived and, like always, it’s all about the money:

Violators face possible fines of $117, plus $50 in court costs if they fail to correct the violation within 15 days of receiving a warning letter. The new system also gives city-parish workers the right to clean up an uncooperative property owner’s parcel and add the costs to the owner’s annual tax bill.

Almost a quarter of the population within Baton Rouge city limits live in poverty, according to 2007 census data. While $167 may sound steep for an automatically-generated ticket processed by a greedy, private company which received a large cash infusion from taxpayer-bailed-out Goldman Sachs, we hear that ATS might still be giving away some backpacks.

How generous. Perhaps they can be boiled and eaten.

UK Speed Cameras to Monitor Every Stretch of Road

From TheNewspaper.com:

The UK Commission for Integrated Transport last year proposed a nationwide blanket of speed cameras as a means of fighting global warming. After a series of trials, the Home Office is now set to make this a reality by approving early next year the SPECS3 “distance over time speed measuring device” that will make it impossible to drive on any primary road in Britain without being tracked and subjected to an instant fine for exceeding the posted speed limit.

With Arizona being the first to deploy a network of fixed and mobile cameras throughout the state, don’t be surprised to see the cameras enhanced to measure speed over distance.

Scam-Cams To Cite “Distracted Driving”?

Totalitarianism is a concept used to describe political systems where the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private life.- Wikipedia

City, state, and corporate officials have indicated interest in using existing photo scam-cams to monitor / ticket “distracted drivers,” including those who text message, eat, drink, talk on a cell phone, or literally do anything other than breathe while driving (from the East Valley Trib):

“We’re able to see people clearly on their cell phones,” said Josh Weiss, spokesman for American Traffic Solutions…

Weiss is also a member of Scottsdale’s Transportation Commission, which recently voted to recommend that the City Council adopt a ban on text messaging while driving. The commission also urged the council to look at expanding that potential law to bar any activity that distracts a driver from the road, like eating, talking on the phone or applying makeup while operating a vehicle.

…it would be possible to point out such things as distracted driving, expired license tags or failure to wear a seat belt to police, who could then issue a citation, Weiss said.

Shoba Vaitheeswaran, spokeswoman for Redflex… said it’s possible to use cameras to enforce additional traffic laws… “Our infrastructure is there,” she said.

Those who generally support photo enforcement should keep in mind the implications of this “mission creep.”  Automated seat-belt and expired licensing tickets don’t hold a candle to what the technology could be expanded to:

• Both-hands-on-the-wheel tickets, or improper hand placement on wheel.
• Tire tread tickets.
• Child safety tickets (kids took their seat belt off for a second? Too bad.)
• Headlamp/tail-lamp tickets.
• Loose pet (“distraction”) tickets.
• Equipment violation tickets, including bumper height and spare tire mounting.
• Drinking… anything.

The list of possibilities goes on and on.

Keep in mind these are all things that real police officers could potentially pull a person over for.

Example:  even though eating or having a pet loose in the vehicle is not currently defined in statute, an officer using human judgment to determine that the driver might be distracted is still able to pull such a person over under the pretext of distracted or reckless driving.

Since cameras can’t use the same judgment as a human, each activity must then be banned under law, so that the photographic evidence is irrefutable and unmistakable.

So, even though a “John Doe” might be obeying all traffic laws while enjoying a soda under today’s laws, banning the activity immediately turns him into a violator, regardless of if he was driving responsibly.