[Xenalyte]

Ping!

[Logophile]

The Virginia General Assembly voted last Tuesday to eliminate a state requirement for police, upon request, to show ticketed motorists their speed reading on a laser or radar speed gun. By a 33-7 vote in the Senate and a unanimous vote in the House, police officers will now have the option of suppressing this evidence. The bill was transmitted to Governor Tim Kaine (D) on Wednesday for his signature.

I am scratching my head over this one. Under what circumstances should an officer refuse to show the speed reading to a ticketed motorist? Can anyone explain what arguments were offered to convince the legislature to vote so overwhelmingly for this change?

[atomic_dog]

I know that DUIs are getting thrown out because the company that builds the breath analyzer will not release the embedded source code to defense attorneys. Has anyone tried this with radar or lidar?

[King Prout]

this is messed up.

[cripplecreek]

If they're hiding something there's probably a reason for it and it's probably not good.

[Mark was here]

... but the police are our friend ... You think they would have it in them to be honest about their revenue collection activities, but they don't.

[raftguide]

More tickets = more income for the state. Who needs proof? "You looked like you were doing 75 mph" ought to be enough when your political survival depends on how much largess you have to throw around your constituency.

[Zeroisanumber]

Why not make a radar gun that prints a time/date/speed reciept on command and staple it to the ticket?

[mo]

Just shut up and take it!!! Pay the King's ransome on demand!!! Somebody oughta hang this on the Governor.

[sono]

Doesn't the accused have the constitutional right to confront his accuser?

[B.O. Plenty]

All "governmental bodies" are so hungry for revenue these days no telling to what depths they will go to raise money. Taxing more is working less and less...increasing fees is helping a little, but they can't increase fees enough.

So they are are stooping to semi-clandestine things like red light cameras and making it harder to challenge traffic tickets.

Speaking of red light cameras: I think that the cameras are the money making-est thing to come along since the mafia.

If they survive the certain court challenges, expect to see them on about every intersection that has any traffic at all.

As for the court challenges....if our supreme court can find a "right" which allows a "government body" to take a private citizen's property and give it to another private citizen just becaust the second private citizen can pay more money to the "government body"....then who thinks that something as lucrative to the "gb" will not stand the challenge?

[Sprite518]

Oh so now e just have to go by the Police word. LOL! As if quotas did not exist. Typical government guilty until prove innocent. This is ridiculous!

[steveo]

Around here (Sacramento area) they warn you of "maximum speed enforcement ahead" and park a radar trailer that displays your speed. Yet people ignore the warning and end up getting a ticket. Just last week I saw four vehicles pulled over at the same time.