yet another hit and run (Palmetto: crime, home, living)

[Pooring Footers]

Good link, thx.

[Nolefan34]

What planet have you people been living on? They already have cameras installed at most major intersections in Broward and Dade counties. And they're in the process of installing more of them at smaller intersections. Pretty soon they will start using these cameras to catch speeders and j-walkers. Be careful for what you wish for. Pretty soon we are going to become a police state. While these cameras might catch a few hit and runs, our civil rights will be infringed upon. Also, expect to pay much more for speeding tickets and fines.

IMO this whole camera thing is more about money than it is about deterring hit and runs. I have a problem with my tax dollars going towards private corporations to install these cameras. Also, tax money going towards something that is designed to penalize regular people like me, both financially and criminally, for the sake of monetary profits of police departments and private corporations. How about they use our tax money for something that benefits us. I don't know, something like education for instance?

[Pooring Footers]

"They already have cameras installed at most major intersections in Broward and Dade counties. And they're in the process of installing more of them at smaller intersections. Pretty soon they will start using these cameras to catch speeders and j-walkers."


Pretty soon they will start using these cameras? Pretty soon? Should have been done a long time ago, if they are there, then they should use them.

[tonyc]

Owner of Porsche connected to fatal Lauderdale hit-and-run jailed in Illinois -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

[Pooring Footers]

Another case of someone coming down to FL to commit same kind of recklessness and crimes. Reading the article, it clearly states what kind of crap he pulled in Chicago, why is he on the streets driving? He came down to FL to hide out obviously, and kept doing the same BS and he killed a pedestrian. What, does FL have a "welcome mat" to out of town creeps to come down and live in FL or something?

[EnjoyTheSilence]

You know, hit and runs are a MAJOR problem in South Florida and what disgusts me almost as much as the hit and run murders themselves are those who say "oh, but hit and runs occur everywhere". Talk about sweeping the problem under the rug, as if it doesn't exist!

Hit and runs are worse here than any other place I've visited or lived in.

We need to start charging hit and run murderers with MURDER. Killing via car is no different to killing via gun. It seem that reckless driving is tolerated in this part of the (third) world though.....too many Gabriel Delriscos running around, either drunk or just plain reckless.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

What planet have you people been living on? They already have cameras installed at most major intersections in Broward and Dade counties. And they're in the process of installing more of them at smaller intersections. Pretty soon they will start using these cameras to catch speeders and j-walkers.

Do you know what those "cameras" are for? They are infrared cameras for controlling the traffic lights. They don't actually film or take pictures of anything, as they literally can't be used for that purpose. I agree with your main point, but there are a lot of misconceptions about those "cameras" that hover over intersections in Broward.

[tonyc]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Do you know what those "cameras" are for? They are infrared cameras for controlling the traffic lights. They don't actually film or take pictures of anything, as they literally can't be used for that purpose. I agree with your main point, but there are a lot of misconceptions about those "cameras" that hover over intersections in Broward.

I have quite a few beautiful pics of the butt of my car, sent to me by the state of MD with a fee to pay... There's one right outside my subdivision ... The one's over the intersections up here are for breaking the red lights...have yet to get one of those...

[Pooring Footers]

Originally Posted by tonyc

I have quite a few beautiful pics of the butt of my car, sent to me by the state of MD with a fee to pay... There's one right outside my subdivision ... The one's over the intersections up here are for breaking the red lights...have yet to get one of those...

Pretty sad when you have one right outside of your subdivision. Sad thing is, here in Orlando, same crap. Red light cameras and hit and runs.

[Nolefan34]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Do you know what those "cameras" are for? They are infrared cameras for controlling the traffic lights. They don't actually film or take pictures of anything, as they literally can't be used for that purpose. I agree with your main point, but there are a lot of misconceptions about those "cameras" that hover over intersections in Broward.

Compelled,

Sorry, but you are wrong. They are using those cameras more and more to capture accidents that occur at major intersections. Granted, not all intersections have them yet, but they are working towards that goal. Eventually all intersections with stoplights will have surveillance cameras. The misconception is that the cameras are constantly running footage. They are not. Also, nobody is monitoring them. So if an accident occurs, it has to be reported to the police and the police have to go back and review the video captured at the time of the accident to use as evidence. The cameras only record footage for a limited amount of time, and then the footage is lost. So if an accident occurs but is not reported within a certain amount of time, say 24 hours, the footage is erased and forever lost. They are not using these cameras to nail speeders yet, except in some areas of Miami-Dade as far as I am aware. The Miami-Dade PD made an announcement recently bragging about the revenue they got from nailing speeders with these cameras at certain intersections. But believe me, they are gradually working towards installing more cameras and using them for more diverse purposes. The only thing holding Broward County officials back from installing more of these cameras quickly is that they are expensive and have to hire private companies to install them. But the returns the cameras will create in additional revenue will far outweigh the costs in the long term.

Also, I'm not sure if the specifics of the accident referenced by the OP, but if an accident occurs somewhere away from an actual intersection, out of view of the cameras, there is no footage of it. Only accidents that occur right smack in the middle of the intersection are captured.

The problem I have with this agenda is two-fold. First, they aren't doing this for the good of the public. They are doing it to create additional revenue for the police departments at the expense of the taxpayers. Also, much of the taxpayer money is going to private companies to install these cameras. So everyone will praise them when they catch a hit-and-run, but once they start using these more and more to capture speeders, you and I will pay a hefty price. They will start doing this on a wide-spread scale within the next 2-5 years I'd imagine. They are already doing it in some areas of Miami-Dade County, but I'm not sure if they are doing it in Broward yet. The second issue I have with this is that we are becoming a police state more and more. Have you ever read the book 1984? This is the direction we are headed in. Once they install cameras at all intersections the next step will be to install more of them at each lightpost, and along sidewalks. They will keep installing them until there is no place you can go that is private.