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Texas: City Councilman Arrested for Opposing Red Light Cameras
The mayor of Duncanville, Texas had a member of the city council arrested last Tuesday for speaking out against the use of red light cameras during an official meeting. The incident took place during the discussion of whether the city should spend $59,000 to make street repairs. Mayor David Green recognized Councilman Paul Ford to speak on the contract item.
Before he had a chance to explain that the city could find the money for those necessary street repairs by cutting the city manager's salary from $179,000 to $160,000 and reducing payments to local chambers of commerce by $40,000, Police Chief Robert Brown grabbed Ford. Ford repeated several times the statement: "Chief Brown, I will not leave voluntarily, but if you believe I am violating the law by discussing this agenda item, I will submit to arrest."
"I'm not the one who brought the red light camera scandal to Duncanville," Ford responded at the private meeting. "I'm the one who brought it to light, but I'm not the one who imposed it on us... I recognize that there probably is no city employee in this room who will stand up to you guys... Unlike those people who are getting red light camera citations, I will have an opportunity for a jury trial when you arrest me for whatever it is that you've discussed, whether it's disrupting a public meeting or disorderly conduct. I will have a jury trial, and it will be a jury of my peers, not yours. In other words, people who are not getting money from this city. And I will with conscience place my fate in their hands."
We need more politicians like Brown who will stand up for liberty!
Under this set of procedures in Duncanville, a mayor would first have issued a warning to an unruly member and, if ignored, put the question of what to do about it to the entire city council. A majority vote would be required to have a sitting member removed from the chambers after that member is given an opportunity to speak in his own defense. Under Duncanville's city charter (2.15), only the full council can change the rules of procedure, not the mayor acting alone.
Under this set of procedures in Duncanville, a mayor would first have issued a warning to an unruly member and, if ignored, put the question of what to do about it to the entire city council. A majority vote would be required to have a sitting member removed from the chambers after that member is given an opportunity to speak in his own defense. Under Duncanville's city charter (2.15), only the full council can change the rules of procedure, not the mayor acting alone.
Appears that there were several procedural violations committed...
Most of that came from people who do not live in Duncanville most likely.
I hate everything about that town (and yes I've been there many times...the stats aren't why I have this view).
But still, you can turn right on red, or at least you can in every place I have been to. They can't all be from people rolling through right hand turns.
If those stats are correct, then those citations seem a bit excessive.
But still, you can turn right on red, or at least you can in every place I have been to. They can't all be from people rolling through right hand turns.
If those stats are correct, then those citations seem a bit excessive.
We've started getting red light and speed cameras here; they had to adjust them so that people did not get tickets for legitimate right turns on red. I have no love for the cameras, but I will say that the accident rates seem to have gone down at those intersections.
We've started getting red light and speed cameras here; they had to adjust them so that people did not get tickets for legitimate right turns on red. I have no love for the cameras, but I will say that the accident rates seem to have gone down at those intersections.
But, the rates of a different type of accident occurring are almost always higher. People slam on their brakes to avoid getting caught and the driver behind them fails to be able to respond quickly enough.
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