Night Vision Tickets

Wmal morning news ^ | june 2, 2005 | wmal

[TrailofTears]

MD State Police are using "night vision goggles" to go after seat belt violators.

[TrailofTears]

I was shocked when i heard on wmal this am that the MD State police has started using night vision goggles to enforce the seat belt law in MD. I couldn't help think that we are seeing another encroachment on freedom and on reasonable expectation of law enforcement. I have for many years now worked in DC public housing doing work with various groups (feeding programs etc) and have watched a continious stream of cars runningfrom the dc area into MD after purchasing drugs. Where are the night vision goggles that will be used to capture those who go over the line and buy drugs and run over to MD to either use them or sell them. It would seem that the folks in MD would eventually say stop to the further encroachment in their lives by these governing authorities; but, it just doesn't seem that there is any point at which folks from MD will reject government intrusion into their lives. I remember that when they first came out with the seat belt laws they were not even able to garner you points on your lisence, let alone be a "first offender"action for ticket. At that time the state swore that they would never, and they were emphatic, never become even a ticketable offense. Then the slippery slope of the Nanny State has come down on us and it is not only ticketable but the government is now authorizing the police to wear night vision goggles to "watch the citizenry." I could tell them many places in PG County, Rockville, and the outlying areas that are infested with illegal drug markets and other serious activities where the night vision goggles would be able to keep our streets safer. They know those areas and have chosen to go for the soft target of the average citizen who might have either forgotten their seat belt, or who is sick of the nanny state telling them that they have to wear them. Either way, our streets and neighborhoods are not safer through this effort, they have chosen not to deal with the real areas of crime with this equipment, but have chosen to further the encroachment of a police state on the population. This all done in the name of the greatest enemy we seem to have as a people, safety. I will close with a quote from C.S Lewis, which im sure he plagurized from Adam Smith the father of economics who wrote more than 300 years ago some of the same ideas: "Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies, The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. It is this type law that drove our founders to revolution. It is this type law enforcement that would once again drive our founding fathers to revolution were they alive today. At what point will we say, "enough is enough!"

[TrailofTears]

At what point will we decide that the loss of freedom and the misdirecting of resources should end? We need to stop the government intrusion into the lives of the average citizenry and insist that they use these available resources to go after crime and criminals, not after the average Joe who passes down the highway.

[Moatengator83Herd]

As an old soldier, we would have to close down a whole installation if a "sensitive item" were thought to be lost or compromised. These items were weapons, CEOIs, and night vision devices. Will the Nanny State close down when one of their finest misplaces one of these NVGs?

[B4Ranch]

Police say 40 percent of drivers don't use their seat belts at night, making the roads much more dangerous after sunset.

[CPOSharky]

Is just my imagination or are the cops looking more and more for the easy "collar"?

[Lokibob]

My friend was driving an old Nash on the I-state. All the Nash had was lap belt, not a seat harness. A Utah highway patrol passed my friend, looked over , cought his eye, and stretched out his harness, telling my friend to put on his seat belt.

My friend pointed to his lap belt, accidently giving the universal sign of "BITE ME" to the UHP trooper. After the trooper stopped him, they both agreed that everything was ok.

[LIConFem]

"Police say 40 percent of drivers don't use their seat belts at night, making the roads much more dangerous after sunset."

Huh??? I'd love to hear them explain how non-belted drivers make the roads more dangerous!

[Cagey]

..making the roads much more dangerous after sunset.

Are the roads more dangerous, or is it just more dangerous for the drivers not wearing seat belts? I don't think the roads are any more dangerous because the other guy is not wearing his seat belt.

[Lokibob]

NVG's are no longer a sensitive item. A good pair can be purchased on the net for ~$200. Time passes. I remember using the starlight scope in RVN. Big, monsterious thing, mounted on a tripod.

[Joe Boucher]

Hey man the police shut down interstate 75 south of Sarasota Florida last week because a prostetic penis wrapped in duct tape was seen to be on the center medium.
You don't think they'd shut it down for night vision crap or guns or dope of just to look busy?

[marylandrepub1]

I just heard the same report AM 680 (MAL)about 15 minutes ago.

[dhuffman@awod.com]

'Universal sign' of BITE ME? I'm familiar with the sign for phallus and unicus and various corruptions of 'sign language' but not with a universal 'bite me' sign. Will you describe it?

I ask as an armed citizen in a jurisdiction that requires that I be blameless in instigating an altercation. Hence, I must avoid all signs that might be misinterpreted. I use only the full-five-finger wave (kinda like the stupid happy-face). The beholder will know whether to be offended or not.

[GopherIt]

LOL

[JudgemAll]

NVGs for belts?It's more than for armor...or are our departments overequiped-overfunded?

By the way, I wear kevlar to protect myself in case of crashes.The cop got all startled asking me why I was wearing armor.It's not about safety folkes,it's about an easy job and an easy profiling prejudice.It's about making the citizen as naked as possible before the law,under the pretense it is not dressed well enough with the belt.Muslims treat women the same way in the name of their safety.

Also drivers without belts usualy are more careful.

[fuquadukie]

Is just my imagination or are the cops looking more and more for the easy "collar"?

Is it just my imagination or did I not hear that you wouyldn't/couldn't be stopped solely because of a seat-belt violation? At least that's what I seem to recall when the seat-belt laws were being imposed here in Pennsylvania.

The PA State Police are being very open about seat-belt check points... as are many of the local-yokel Barney Fife types. "Click It or Ticket" ads are running on the radio. And, yet... School buses have NO seat-belts... motorcycle riders don't have to wear helmets... Go figure.

Revenue generation. Pure and simple.

[fatnotlazy]

From the article:
"The new strategy is paying off. At a seat belt enforcement operation Wednesday night on Rockville Pike, officers issued at least 44 tickets for seat belt violations."

***

Bravo! Going after those hardened non-seat belt wearing criminals. (sarcasm)

[Cagey]

Maybe he meant he had the original Nash Key Ring and flashed that to the cop?

For what it's worth, I've never heard of the "Universal sign of BITE ME" either.

[battlecry]

That is hilarious. I have an old car with lap belts and can see doing that too.

[CharacterCounts]

Is just my imagination or are the cops looking more and more for the easy "collar"?

Or the easy dollar.

Those $100.00 fines can add lots to the local treasury.

[OXENinFLA]

A bit more HERE

[American_Centurion]

And people ask me why I hate cops.

I don't hate the individual cop, I hate what their organization has become. Long ago they gave up "Serve and Protect" in favor of "Tax and Collect".

So individual officer's reading this, you will certainly be called sir and treated with respect by me, but once you leave I will certainly generalize the lot as human scum. Y'all remember that lot's of people met their doom at the end of a rope for "following orders", if you don't resist the encroachment on our freedoms, you or future police may pay a high price for it. This country was founded on revolt against tyranny, it can happen again. I pray we change course before we get to that point.

[reagan_fanatic]

Revenue generation. Pure and simple.

I have to agree. This type of action smacks of a money grab to me as well.

I have a '57 Chevy that has only lapbelts. I'm just waiting for the day I'm pulled over by some over-eager cop looking to make his quota and pad the city coffers.

[numberonepal]

At what point will we decide that the loss of freedom and the misdirecting of resources should end?

As optimistic (naive) as I am about America, I believe something catastrophic would have to happen nation wide for us to ever realize the freedoms we are born with.

[UseYourHead]

If the police sat in the same place during the day it would be okay for them to watch you? What's the difference?

You are only complaining about the NVGs being used for seatbelt offenders but not if used for drug deals?

Do you wear your seatbelt?

What if they already have people undercover for those drug deals you see going on and need to find the source of the drugs? How would you know what is really going on?

Yes, I think this is all about you being forced to wear seatbelts. I don't even notice the seatbelt. What will you do when we go to 4-point seatbelts?

It might be time for you to move to Montana.

[pageonetoo]

[pageonetoo]

Strange tagline for your view of civil rights...

[ovrtaxt]

I'm waiting for the day when I have to rip the Onstar unit out of my car because of Big Brother.

[UseYourHead]

How about this one:

[sgtbono2002]

I have said for years that the Title Maryland State Police should be changed to Highway Patrol. Their policeing duties have so little to do with crime stopping its hilarious.

Running Radar and writing seat belt tickets accounts for 90% of their duties. By the way the cop who writes the most tickets gets to ride in a plain car, Not one with those ugly lights on top.

I dont know of anyone who habitually wears a seat belt who stops wearing it at night. If you wanted to stop wearing one dont wear it on a rainy day. No seat belt stops or Radar tickets on rainy days. what cop wants to stand in the rain and write tickets, Thats for sunny spring days, expecially holidays. When they get overtime for it. And another thing dont ever let a police officer tell you they dont have quota's.

[razorback-bert]

I was sitting at the one and only stoplight in this small West Texas town, when I noticed that the light had cameras on it.

Denver City must have some really bad traffic flow to require cameras to monitor the intersection.

[Eagle Eye]

Back in your day consumers couldn't just go out and buy NODs. Today they can. Not really sensitive items anymore.

But, geeze, don't these guys have a real job to do, or is their real job revenue enhancement via petty law enforcement?

[Bear_Slayer]

It might be time for you to move to Montana

Why? They have seatbelt laws here too.

[Smokin' Joe]

Police say 40 percent of drivers don't use their seat belts at night, making the roads much more dangerous after sunset

Genius! Did they ever think DARK might have something to do with it?

[Smokin' Joe]

NVGs for belts?It's more than for armor...or are our departments overequiped-overfunded?

Probably one of those DHS grants to keep the terrorists out. A lot of that has turned to ham and bacon.

[Smokin' Joe]

It might be time for you to move to Montana.

Montana has a seat belt law, too.

[RebelBanker]

I think I agree with your sentiments, but PLEASE use paragraphs. I kept getting lost about half way through your post because it all runs together.

BTW, the Maryland State Police were created under the Department of Transportation for the purpose of traffic control and enforcement on the highways. Local police and sheriffs departments were supposed to handle all other law enforcement duties in the state.

[Dog Gone]

Denver City must have some really bad traffic flow to require cameras to monitor the intersection.

Rush hour there is horrible!

[Rebelbase]

"The new strategy is paying off. At a seat belt enforcement operation Wednesday night on Rockville Pike, officers issued at least 44 tickets for seat belt violations."

I love truth in journalism.

[RebelBanker]

...Maryland State Police should be changed to Highway Patrol. Their policeing duties have so little to do with crime stopping its hilarious....

Please see my post #36 and check the MSP's Web site (www.mdsp.org). Their primary mission is to serve as a highway patrol.

[Rebelbase]

"I'm waiting for the day when I have to rip the Onstar unit out of my car because of Big Brother"

I'm anticipating the day I'm required by the state to have one or a comparable vehicular tracking device installed.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Is just my imagination or are the cops looking more and more for the easy "collar"?

It's just business. It's called "Enhancement of revenue streams".

[nightdriver]

Long ago they gave up "Serve and Protect" in favor of "Tax and Collect".

It certainly looks that way and it infuriates me as well.

But remember, the cops are doing what the officials that WE ELECT tell them to do. It's not the cops that make the laws. It's the elected officials that have proven that they can't be trusted.

[ovrtaxt]

Or the day when I receive a speeding ticket for the elapsed time between toll booth A and toll booth B, automatically generated by my SunPass transponder unit.

[American_Centurion]

But remember, the cops are doing what the officials that WE ELECT tell them to do. It's not the cops that make the laws. It's the elected officials that have proven that they can't be trusted.

And Redcoats were just enforcing the will of the King. Those elected leaders MAY face the music someday, but if the citizenry gets fed up with the crap, the "enforcers" are the ones the people will stretch. Rulers rarely get their due.

If I were there, though your statement regarding elections is true, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell the mob that they voted their way into this mess. You are welcome to if you like.

[tiger-one]

Cops making stops at night enhances the dangers of driving at night for all involved.

Consider the strobe's and "like a moth to a flame"

PC, as Probably Cause, needed to make a "legal" stop is abundant. License plate marker bulb out, not signaling lane changes etc.

[Gerish]

I don't hate the individual cop, I hate what their organization has become. Long ago they gave up "Serve and Protect" in favor of "Tax and Collect".

Excellent analysis. They have forgotten their role to protect citizens against crime and have become nothing more than revenue makers for the State in the form of tickets. I laugh at the thought that the police actually believe they are better serving their communities by going after those hardened criminals who (agast) don't have their seatbelts on!!!

[pointsal]

The only solution is to ban night time driving.

[thebaron512]

If people don't wish to use a stupid seatbelt for themselves or a helmet, than who cares. They only care about the tickets and being able to claim success in "saving" lives in the news.

[feedback doctor]

Police say 40 percent of drivers don't use their seat belts at night, making the roads much more dangerous after sunset.

HOw are the roads less safe when fewer people are wearing seatbelts. There might be an increase in the chance of injury in an accident for those who don't wear seatbelts, but that does not mean the roads are less safe. If you are driving at night and wearing your seatbelt is the road less safe because folks in other cars are nor? There was a study done a few years back that showed that people who have air bags in their car are not as cautious as those that do not. Why? Beacuse with the extra safety device people think they are more protected and do not exercise the care in driving that they would without the air bags.

[Balding_Eagle]

Amen.