D.C. to expand use of cameras

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | 2/24/05 | Jim McElhatton

[pageonetoo]

Metropolitan Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey yesterday outlined a plan to expand the District's use of speed and red-light cameras, but was not aware of details to reimburse a private contractor for issuing as many as 103,000 traffic-camera citations a month.

Chief Ramsey said the police department is preparing to add at least 10 red-light cameras to the 39 devices already installed at city intersections. He said police also will add several speed cameras, including two new vans to monitor motorists in construction zones.

"We are implementing these program expansions with the strong support of the communities who will benefit from them," he said at a special D.C. Council hearing on the department's use of the automated technology.

The expansion comes two months after city officials agreed in a contract extension to pay more money to ACS State & Local Solutions if the company mails out more traffic citations. The Washington Times reported on the contract yesterday.

Under a new arrangement, the District is paying ACS a fixed fee of $651,735 per month, according to the six-month contract extension approved in December. The previous monthly fee was $759,992.

However, the contract extension includes a new provision that says if ACS handles more than 53,750 citations in any given month, the city must pay the company an extra $19,500 to $23,000 for every group of 2,500 citations that exceeds the monthly threshold...

[pageonetoo]

...Chief Ramsey disputed the notion that police consider revenue -- whether to ACS or the city government -- in operating the automated camera program.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said. "I could care less about revenue, as far as I'm concerned.

"The fines that are assessed to aggressive drivers are purely voluntary on their part," Chief Ramsey said. "And it is completely within the power of those drivers to never be ticketed or fined again."

He also said, "As violations go down at each location, so do the number of tickets issued and fines collected."

However, city records show that officials are projecting a huge increase in the number of citations issued each month.

[Larry Lucido]

Apparently, everybody is fine with this, because the politicians who are overseeing installation of these systems aren't even getting voted out of office, let alone tarred and feathered.

[pageonetoo]

Va. House Panel Cites 'Liberty' In Yanking Red-Light Cameras
The Washington Post ^ | February 19, 2005 | Chris L. Jenkins

Posted on 02/19/2005 9:42:24 AM PST by neverdem

RICHMOND, Feb. 18 -- A House committee on Friday rejected legislation that would have allowed Virginia communities to continue using surveillance cameras to ticket red-light runners, signaling the impending end of the state's 10-year experiment with the technology.

The House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee defeated five Senate bills to extend permission to use the cameras beyond July 1. The monitoring systems are used in six densely populated jurisdictions in Northern Virginia and Virginia Beach.

[fuquadukie]

"We are implementing these program expansions with the strong support of the communities who will benefit from them and the City desperately needs the money," he said at a special D.C. Council hearing on the department's use of the automated technology.

There, that's better... and probably closer to the truth.

[HMFIC]

Got to love Virginia. A STRONG anti OVER government element here. And rightfully so.

Somewhere, Patrick Henry is smiling!

[sphinx]

They're turning D.C. into speed trap city. We've gotten three speed camera tickets. (I was the driver twice; we're not sure about the third.) None was in a residential neighborhood.

The two I got were for driving 56 mph and, on another occasion, 63 mph on I-295, aka the Anacostia Freeway. Both occasions were broad daylight, perfect weather, no congestion. I saved the speedcam photos to prove the point -- they clearly show open road with cars well spaced.

D.C., however, has posted its little stretch of Interstate Highway at 45 mph on the theory that it's an urban interstate. Granted, 295 is an older road and can get congested around several entrance/exit chokepoints, but aside from rush hour traffic in these locations, NO ONE drives 45. (When was the last time you kept it to 45 on an interstate, in good weather?) They can post a speedcam anywhere along that road and ticket everyone who drives by. That apparently is the plan. A real profit center.

Our third ticket was on North Capitol St. up by the reservoir. For those who don't know D.C., that is also a long stretch of open road, not a residential neighborhood. I forget what we were clocked at -- 40-plus mph, not a wild speed.

I have no objection to cameras to stop commuter speeding through residential neighborhoods provided they don't game the stoplights, but according to the newspaper reports, that's not where D.C. is writing most of the tickets. Maybe we should just go with the flow. Let's put a 45 mph speed limit on all the interstates across the country, invest in about five million speedcams, and retire the federal debt in ten years.

[HMFIC]

DC is a money sinkhole with no end in sight. The corruption alone probably sucks down close to 30% of the annual budget. Pretty crappy place really.

[pageonetoo]

Apparently, everybody is fine with this, because the politicians who are overseeing installation of these systems aren't even getting voted out of office, let alone tarred and feathered.

If you read the whole article, it notes that 2/3 of the tickets go to VA and MD drivers. The actual numbers are higher. It's a tax on commuters!

I especially like the cops comment, "The fines that are assessed to aggressive drivers are purely voluntary on their part," Chief Ramsey said. "And it is completely within the power of those drivers to never be ticketed or fined again." Yep, stay out of the city if you drive...take Metro, if you can! There's not any parking ,anyways...

[endthematrix]

In NY City, they have plenty of cameras, and plenty of unpaid UN bureaucratic parking tickets. In Chicago they have cameras too, and the city (contractor crony) steals you parked car and sells it for cheap at auction. In DC the crime rate is so high yet concealed carry (or any RKBA) is scorned. The masses encourage this absurd practice.

[sphinx]

If you read the whole article, it notes that 2/3 of the tickets go to VA and MD drivers.

I suppose that's the logic of putting cameras on I-295. You nail the Marylanders coming in from Prince Georges County and the Virginians cutting north after crossing the Woodrow Wilson bridge.

Unfortunately, sometimes D.C. residents drive on these roads too. I'm all for finding a way to tax the commuters (gotta go to work now, so I'll be back to defend myself tonight), but we should do so fairly, not with speed traps.

[pageonetoo]

Pretty crappy place really.

HizHonor... the former mayor of DC, and current Councilman!

These are actual quotes taken from Mayor Marion Barry, of Washington, D.C.

"The contagious people of Washington have stood firm against diversity during this long period of increment weather." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I promise you a police car on every sidewalk." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"If you take out the killings, Washington actually has a very very low crime rate." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"First, it was not a strip bar, it was an erotic club. And second, what can I say? I'm a night owl." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"Bitch set me up." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I am clearly more popular than Reagan. I am in my third term. Where's Reagan? Gone after two! Defeated by George Bush and Michael Dukakis no less." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"The laws in this city are clearly racist. All laws are racist. The law of gravity is racist." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC "I am making this trip to Africa because Washington is an international city, just like Tokyo, Nigeria or Israel. As mayor, I am an international symbol. Can you deny that to Africa?" -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC "People have criticized me because my security detail is larger than the president's. But you must ask yourself: are there more people who want to kill me than who want to kill the president? I can assure you there are." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC "The brave men who died in Vietnam, more than 100% of which were black, were the ultimate sacrifice." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I read a funny story about how the Republicans freed the slaves. The Republicans are the ones who created slavery by law in the 1600's. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and he was not a Republican." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"What right does Congress have to go around making laws just because they deem it necessary?" -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"People blame me because these water mains break, but I ask you, if the water mains didn't break, would it be my responsibility to fix them then? WOULD IT!?!" -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I am a great mayor; I am an upstanding Christian man; I am an intelligent man; I am a deeply educated man; I am a humble man." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

[Larry Lucido]

Well, that's encouraging.

[pageonetoo]

Formatting problem...

"The laws in this city are clearly racist. All laws are racist. The law of gravity is racist." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"I am making this trip to Africa because Washington is an international city, just like Tokyo, Nigeria or Israel. As mayor, I am an international symbol. Can you deny that to Africa?" -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

"People have criticized me because my security detail is larger than the president's. But you must ask yourself: are there more people who want to kill me than who want to kill the president? I can assure you there are." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

...and my personal favorite...

"The brave men who died in Vietnam, more than 100% of which were black, were the ultimate sacrifice." -- M. Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC

[apillar]

What can you expect from a city that where over 85% of residents reliably vote democrat?

[JustAnAmerican]

"Apparently, everybody is fine with this, because the politicians who are overseeing installation of these systems aren't even getting voted out of office, let alone tarred and feathered."

That's because the majority of DC residents do not own cars nor do they work for the money they would pay the tickets with if they did drive. And since it seems to affect out of town drivers more than anyone else, I would think someone would have taken DC's corrupt government to court by now.

[Riley]

Astounding.

Here's the end product of promoting self-esteem without any actual achievement in the schools.

[pageonetoo]

... I would think someone would have taken DC's corrupt government to court by now...

It's something to do with lawyers...

[Strategerist]

The two I got were for driving 56 mph and, on another occasion, 63 mph on I-295, aka the Anacostia Freeway. Both occasions were broad daylight, perfect weather, no congestion. I saved the speedcam photos to prove the point -- they clearly show open road with cars well spaced.

D.C., however, has posted its little stretch of Interstate Highway at 45 mph on the theory that it's an urban interstate.

Actually only part of it in DC is 45 mph I think. The signs aren't real obvious where they drop it. They got me at the same spot for 56 mph. EVERYBODY on that road was going faster than I was, the revenues from that must be enormous.

What I'd like to know, and what would be a real scandal, is if there are any instructions to let those with DC plates slide by the folks looking at the cameras.

[sphinx]

I have DC plates and have been nailed twice on 295, so it seems to be an equal opportunity speed trap.

[sphinx]

That's because the majority of DC residents do not own cars nor do they work for the money they would pay the tickets with if they did drive.

On what planet do you live? In terms of per capita income, D.C. is the wealthiest major city in the country. It's a heavily bipolar distribution, to be sure, but the city as a whole is quite affluent and is steadily getting more so.