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hypothetically, a driver gets flashed by an automated speed trap at a california intersection, running a green light. he (or she or they) is(are) wearing a baseball hat and dark sunglasses. ho.e/she/they have facial hair which did not show in their last driver's license photo, years ago. the usual drill (so i have learned in a different california county) is that -- in theory-- the automated incident notice first goes to a reviewing human police officer. the police officer looks at the incident photos and tries to make a facial match with the registered owner. if the officer succeeds, and...

In 2016, revenues from the court system and the drug towing law, brought in more than $546,000, approximately double from the year before. At the same time, however, payroll for the cops and court quadrupled, according to financial documents.

Expansion of the Turner Turnpike between Sapulpa and Bristow is anticipated to be done by early next summer — months ahead of the initially announced estimated completion date.“This is a long-term project, and we ask the public for their patience because the end results are going to be tremendous,” said Oklahoma Turnpike Authority spokesman Jack Damrill.“We should have whatever is currently under construction substantially complete by summer,” he said. “Unless we have a terrible winter, we should have all six lanes open summer of 2019.”He said the project has been progressing “very nicely.” The 22-mile, $300 million project involves expanding...

WALDO, Fla. (AP) - The tiny town of Waldo in north Florida has such a notorious reputation as a speed trap that AAA erected billboards to warn drivers about it, but all that may be about to change. On Tuesday, weeks after the police chief and interim chief resigned due to state investigations into ticket quotas, mishandling of evidence and other issues, Waldo's City Council disbanded its police force. While the Alachua County Sheriff's Office is now in charge of policing the town of 1,000, and AAA says it will consider removing its billboards, some citizens worry that the speeding...

The police force has been disbanded in Waldo, Florida, a tiny town with a big speed trap reputation. On Tuesday, the Waldo City Council voted 4-1 to eliminate the department just weeks after the chief and interim chief resigned because of state investigations into many issues, including an illegal ticket quota

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- Hauling a truckload of logs to a Southern Oregon mill last fall, Chris Hill noticed a sheriff's deputy behind him and flashed his lights to warn a UPS driver coming the other way. The deputy pulled over Hill on U.S. Highway 140 in White City and handed him a $260 ticket for improperly using his headlights, saying another deputy had seen the flashing lights from behind the UPS truck and alerted him to stop the log truck because of the signaling. Outraged, Hill decided to fight the ticket, and on Wednesday, a Jackson County Justice...

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8715510 HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A woman tried to save drivers from getting ticketed by police and instead ended up in jail herself. Now she claims she was wrongfully arrested. It all happened as officers were clocking speeders and pulling them over last week near downtown. Natalie Plummer now fears police retribution. She says she was just trying to get people to stop driving so fast, and that instead of being seen as helpful, she was arrested for it. Plummer admits she probably will never hold up a similar sign again out near any road. "I was completely abiding by the...

BLUFF CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Bluff City officials are enjoying the extra revenue from speed cameras that have generated more than a million dollars in a little over a year, but the windfall could be short-lived. Between Jan. 1, 2010, and May 31, 2011, the cameras on U.S. Highway 11E in Piney Flats issued 39,923 citations to drivers, including now Gov. Bill Haslam, who was ticketed last year when he was caught speeding during his campaign. The tickets netted the city nearly $1.6 million — an amount equal to eight times Bluff City's total property tax collections from the last...

As Interstate 95 sweeps past this small town along South Carolina's coastal plain, motorists encounter cameras that catch speeding cars, the only such devices on the open interstate for almost 2,000 miles from Canada to Miami. The cameras have nabbed thousands of motorists, won accolades from highway safety advocates, attracted heated opposition from state lawmakers and sparked a federal court challenge. Ridgeland Mayor Gary Hodges said the cameras in his town about 20 miles north of the Georgia line do what they are designed to do: slow people down, reduce accidents and, most importantly, save lives. But lawmakers who want...

If you've ever been pulled over for speeding, you know it feels like you're a gazelle that just got taken down by a lion. And, while this recession, and the gaping budget holes that resulted, have turned most cities into a jungle for motorists, there are some cities that have far more speed traps than others. And automated traffic cams have only egged them on. Now, they can snag just as many motorists for speeding, if not more, with less manpower.

ATS secures investment from Goldman SachsPhoenix Business Journal - by Patrick O'Grady Phoenix Business Journal Dave D’Amato, design and engineering manager for American Traffic Solutions Inc., works on a device that will take pictures of speeders. View Larger American Traffic Solutions Inc. is getting an investment boost from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to help it meet increasing demand for its red-light and speed cameras. Although neither company would disclose the amount of the investment, ATS President James Tuton said it was a “significant” amount that will net the former investment house, now a bank holding company, two seats on the...

California Highway Patrol Officer Danny Benavidas killed in plane crash COACHELLA - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today sent condolences to the family of Highway Patrol officer Danny Benavidas, who was killed in a plane crash near Borrego Springs. "Maria and I were deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy. Officer Benavides dedicated his life to ensuring the safety and security of California residents, and his honorable service will forever be remembered," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today when he heard of the crash. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Benavides' family during this difficult time." Officer Danny Benavides was found...

 As though cameras on top of every traffic light weren't bad enough already: there's now a trial run of satellites that will catch you speeding, over a several-block range, from hundreds of miles up. Hope for clouds, I guess?The SpeedSpike system is being tested at two locations in London, and works a little differently than your typical trap: cameras on the ground are assisted by satellites that are capable of calculating your average speed between two points. Which to me just means a lot of speeding, then going very, very slowly, then speeding, and so on: The company said in...

While this may be a vanity, I believe it is another chapter in a growing trend of government to prey on its citizen subjects to add to their coffers.Yesterday, while returning home from a Christmas visit to relatives, my daughter was picked up on I-77 just north of the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel.She is 24, a cautious driver and never had a speeding ticket before. I'm 54 and have had only one, when I was slightly younger than she is now.The circumstances of the ticket are suspect. She was passing a semi-trailer going in the 50's on a steep downhill...

Waterproof, Louisiana mayor and police chief arrested for corruption. The pair received federal grants to create speed traps. The mayor and police chief of a federally funded Louisiana speed trap town were arrested Wednesday on felony corruption charges. A Tensas Parish Grand Jury indicted Waterproof Mayor Bobby Higginbotham for felony theft, malfeasance in office, payroll fraud and using public funds for personal use. Waterproof Police Chief Miles Jenkins faces three felony counts for receiving bonuses for meeting traffic ticket quotas and altering traffic citations. The activities of both officials were fueled by federal taxpayer dollars. In 2007, Higginbotham received $37,500...

High school students in Maryland are using speed cameras to get back at their perceived enemies, and even teachers. The students duplicate the victim's license plate on glossy paper using a laser printer, tape it over their own plate, then speed past a newly installed speed camera. The victim gets a $40 ticket in the mail days later, without any humans ever having been involved in the ticketing process. A blog dedicated to driving and politics adds that a similar, if darker, practice has taken hold in England, where bad guys cruise the streets looking for a car similar to...

Njection.com has added several new features allowing visitors to view where Red Light Cameras, Speed Detection Cameras and Speed Traps are located anywhere in the world. Njection.com uses Microsoft Virtual Earth Map Controls to display the location of Speed Traps and Red Light Cameras worldwide. Users with an Internet connection can view, contribute and rate where these speed traps are located. In addition, a heat map can be displayed showing what time of day those areas are monitored and will display them visually on the map when those areas are monitored. The map displays a color-coded system for better readability....

Arizona’s Governor, Janet Napolitano (D), plans to use new photo radar and other speed enforcement technology on state highways to generate revenue to help close the state’s budget deficit. Her proposal projects at least $120 million in revenue per year from the program. This is about a tenth of a forecast $1.2 billion deficit. Napolitano acknowledged that the technology was sold to the public as a means of promoting safety, but said it would be foolish to overlook its revenue raising potential. "Since the majority of the traffic on our roads exceeds the speed limit, we realized we’re sitting on...

Indictments of judge, police chief renew criticism of tactics. MCBEE, S.C. - Travelers to Myrtle Beach have long known about McBee, a sleepy Pee Dee crossroads with a reputation as a speed trap. But recent law enforcement tactics in McBee have sparked a criminal investigation and renewed criticism from local residents. The state grand jury last week indicted McBee's police chief and town judge on public corruption charges. According to the S.C. Attorney General's Office, the town would drop criminal cases if accused wrongdoers would pay cash or deed over their cars. Chief Joseph McLemore has since quit the force,...

NAHANT - Nahant Police and State Police have drawn battle lines along the causeway. The town and the state police have joint jurisdiction on the causeway and Nahant Rotary, but apparently a sharp difference on traffic enforcement strategy. Town Police Lt. Thomas Hutton said after the department received at least 20 complaints from town residents who were ticketed by state police for speeding on the causeway, Nahant officers moved to warn its residents to slow down. The department stationed marked cruisers with lights flashing at two spots along the causeway during rush hour Friday evening, as state police were clocking...