Bill introduced to allow local law enforcement to use radar (Pittsburgh: fencing, cost of)

[BarqCider]

Originally Posted by jay5835

In Pennsylvania?

there are front cameras like them that scan plates quickly.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by BarqCider

there are front cameras like them that scan plates quickly.

We don't have front plates, though. Nothing to take a picture of from the rear.

[BarqCider]

Originally Posted by jay5835

We don't have front plates, though. Nothing to take a picture of from the rear.

no lol. I mean that these cameras go in the front of the cops car, to read your plates from the back near instantly pulls up the info on the car. lol

[Buckeye Burgher]

There was something called the "Buffalo Defense" named after a guy in Buffalo, NY based on the
way in which he fought his speeding ticket.

His ticket specified the make and model number of the radar gun the officer used to time him.
He wrote to the manufacturer and got a copy of the unit's instruction manual.

He put the officer on the stand and asked him ten questions about how the gun functioned.

The officer answered two correctly. Case dismissed.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Burgher

There was something called the "Buffalo Defense" named after a guy in Buffalo, NY based on the
way in which he fought his speeding ticket.

His ticket specified the make and model number of the radar gun the officer used to time him.
He wrote to the manufacturer and got a copy of the unit's instruction manual.

He put the officer on the stand and asked him ten questions about how the gun functioned.

The officer answered two correctly. Case dismissed.

This is a great point and another one of my issues with local police using radar. If slowing people down and saving lives is really the issue here are police officer operated radar guns the most effective, currently available solution? I would argue the answer would be no and the more effective solution would be red light and traffic speeding cameras throughout the state. Of course I am against both of these ideas for the reasons I posted previously, but it really seems silly that we would implement outdated technology that has the potential for user error and can't catch speeders when it is not in operation. PA could follow the fabulous DC traffic revenue model, oops I mean traffic enforcement and safety model, and we could be at the forefront of traffic safety. These new traffic cameras can enforce the following:
1) Speeding
2) Not stopping at a red light or a stop sign
3) Someone stopping illegally in the middle of an intersection
4) Overweight vehicles
5) Not stopping for a pedestrian
Link: New DC Traffic Cams Begin Ticketing Feb. 1 | NBC4 Washington

To me this is all craziness, because I am very afraid of where we are headed as a country in terms of individual privacy rights, but it is very naive to believe that PA local police officers using radar is for safety purposes.

[gg]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

To me this is all craziness, because I am very afraid of where we are headed as a country in terms of individual privacy rights, but it is very naive to believe that PA local police officers using radar is for safety purposes.

Do you feel they will use radar to do something other than check a car's speed? What other capabilities do these magic radar guns have? Is the speed of a car private to the law? You lost me with your privacy claims here.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Do you feel they will use radar to do something other than check a car's speed? What other capabilities do these magic radar guns have? Is the speed of a car private to the law? You lost me with your privacy claims here.

Here's the interesting thing: in general, police are allowed to stop people for traffic offenses as "pretext" for other crimes (that may or may not be true in PA--I need to double check my PA crim outline ).

I do have mixed feeling on the whole pretext thing, but I definitely agree that the speed at which your automobile is traveling is in no way, shape, or form entitled to privacy. What's contained within the car, of course, is another issue entirely. That said, I do see Trackstar's point regarding the use of traffic cameras, which can potentially capture a whole lot more than just traffic activity.

There are a lot of legitimate concerns regarding police power, but radar guns used for unsavory purposes are merely a symptom of the broader problem.

[Buckeye Burgher]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

This is a great point and another one of my issues with local police using radar. If slowing people down and saving lives is really the issue here are police officer operated radar guns the most effective, currently available solution? I would argue the answer would be no and the more effective solution would be red light and traffic speeding cameras throughout the state. Of course I am against both of these ideas for the reasons I posted previously, but it really seems silly that we would implement outdated technology that has the potential for user error and can't catch speeders when it is not in operation. PA could follow the fabulous DC traffic revenue model, oops I mean traffic enforcement and safety model, and we could be at the forefront of traffic safety. These new traffic cameras can enforce the following:
1) Speeding
2) Not stopping at a red light or a stop sign
3) Someone stopping illegally in the middle of an intersection
4) Overweight vehicles
5) Not stopping for a pedestrian
Link: New DC Traffic Cams Begin Ticketing Feb. 1 | NBC4 Washington

To me this is all craziness, because I am very afraid of where we are headed as a country in terms of individual privacy rights, but it is very naive to believe that PA local police officers using radar is for safety purposes.

I would add the following.

1) Enforce the law against texting while driving, and the more general one against
distracted driving (yakking on cell phones, putting on makeup, chowing down on food,
generally having your head turned in a direction other than the one you are traveling).
I see an awful lot of this during my morning commute, and IMO it prevents far more of
a danger than going 5-10MPH over the speed limit. Of course the latter is about revenue.

2) Enforce the provision of the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code which says you cannot tint
your windows to a darkness where the driver can no longer be identified. That's been the law
for eons but I see it being violated multiple times per day. So many issues with drug dealing,
gun violence, etc. could be prevented if we'd start enforcing existing state law.

Both a far better use of police officer's time than fumbling with a newfangled radar gun.

[gg]

Okay, what about having radar set up without police like they do in DC. I was in DC a few weeks back and there was hidden speed traps here and there taking down people's license plates if they were speeding. The tickets are mailed to the drivers and the proof is in the video. There would be no interaction with police. They also do this in VA I think, or maybe it was MD. I referred to the radar as the "flashy thingies", because you would get a flash from behind from the camera taking your picture of the car. We don't have that in PA, but maybe we could in our city? I will tell you people didn't speed in DC much at all. There were lots of flashy thingies around.

[BarqCider]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Okay, what about having radar set up without police like they do in DC. I was in DC a few weeks back and there was hidden speed traps here and there taking down people's license plates if they were speeding. The tickets are mailed to the drivers and the proof is in the video. There would be no interaction with police. They also do this in VA I think, or maybe it was MD. I referred to the radar as the "flashy thingies", because you would get a flash from behind from the camera taking your picture of the car. We don't have that in PA, but maybe we could in our city? I will tell you people didn't speed in DC much at all. There were lots of flashy thingies around.

you mean speed cameras? or red light running cameras? usually those speed cameras flah/get you if you go over the limit by 10.