jbooma Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 I am all about this, sitting on a chair drinking some beer with a radar gun and tagging people flying through my neighborhood http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20030529-093451-7951r.htm A radar gun for everyone The lengths to which police departments are going to bust drivers for minor infractions get nuttier by the day. In Fairfax County, Virginia, county supervisors are considering a scheme to provide radar guns to civilians to combat speeding. This so-called citizen radar patrol is one neighborhood-watch program we are wholeheartedly against. If the policy is instituted, volunteers using county-distributed equipment would clock cars and send the vehicle identification of alleged speeders to the police department. According to the Northern Virginia Journal, the cops likely would issue warnings only. But there is no guarantee, and the warnings would be kept on record. In the Kansas City suburb of Shawnee, license-plate numbers collected from citizen patrols are run through a database listing other infractions. In Boca Raton, Florida, private patrols actually have given tickets and fines in some neighborhoods since 1998. The dangers of giving traffic-control powers to non-professionals are numerous. There is no guarantee that citizen radar patrols will be trained properly or have the authority and experience to deal with predictable confrontations that will result. We wouldn't be surprised to find volunteers using their radar guns to settle scores against neighbors. There are no signs that these stings even slow down traffic, or that they are intended to do so. Eric Skrum of the National Motorists Association told us, "These programs are basically PR stunts to quiet community groups that nag the police about inadequate patrolling. They don't improve safety, and the resources spent on equipment and hours of police review are totally wasted." Neighborhood patrols hiding behind trash cans and planter boxes to zap commuters are merely the latest in a string of stunts some police departments are employing to harass commuters. In Kissimmee, Florida, last week, Osceola County sheriffs went undercover as homeless — going so far as to sit on sidewalks in rags and fake rotten teeth — to catch motorists unawares at a stop light. These tricky lawmen handed out 171 $83 tickets. Law-enforcement agencies should consider the harm ill-considered policies cause. The vast majority of police officers join the force to fight violent and destructive crime. Farcical tactics demean the men and women in blue. Even worse, ideas like citizen radar patrols are dangerously close to old Soviet police-state policies of turning citizens into informers on their neighbors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboDaMan Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 Don't like the sound of this one. OTOH, I got a few neighbors I'd like to turn in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 Can't be a good idea.:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 This type of "policing" is just foolish. Hopefully one of the wannabe traffic cops gets seriously :hammer: :stick: one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 I want one. Then I can clock how fast the police car is going when chasing me. Make a simple trade, his license # for mine. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted May 30, 2003 Author Share Posted May 30, 2003 Originally posted by riggins44 I want one. Then I can clock how fast the police car is going when chasing me. Make a simple trade, his license # for mine. :laugh: nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 In Kissimmee, Florida, last week, Osceola County sheriffs went undercover as homeless — going so far as to sit on sidewalks in rags and fake rotten teeth — to catch motorists unawares at a stop light. These tricky lawmen handed out 171 $83 tickets. What a marvelous way to put spin on a story about how police are "harassing" people who run red lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonnyJ Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 Originally posted by Larry What a marvelous way to put spin on a story about how police are "harassing" people who run red lights. They would be far more effective if they just stood there out in the open. People would see them and wouldn't run the lights in the first place. Going undercover smacks of the intention being to raise revenue, which kind of refutes the notion that this is about safety. You could make a weak argument that being undercover plants the seed of doubt in the red light runner's mind, and thus making him more likely to stop. But the patrolled intersection should do that anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted May 30, 2003 Author Share Posted May 30, 2003 Originally posted by SonnyJ They would be far more effective if they just stood there out in the open. People would see them and wouldn't run the lights in the first place. Going undercover smacks of the intention being to raise revenue, which kind of refutes the notion that this is about safety. You could make a weak argument that being undercover plants the seed of doubt in the red light runner's mind, and thus making him more likely to stop. But the patrolled intersection should do that anyway. The problem though when they come flying down the road and want to run the light, then they see a cop. The drivers would slam on their brakes, maybe lose control and hit something or someone. At least when the cops are not visible they won't try to avoid anything. Similiar to when you are driving on the highway, and you pass a trap everyone slams on thier brakes and accidents happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 Maybe ASF will start a thread about the Government working with Auto makers to covertly implement a GSP device on all vehicles so the "authorites" can monitor you constantly and ticket you for all of you infractions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 hmmmmmm...a conspiracy theroy between government and auto makers. Not in my life time. All you need to do is ride with me or anyone in car biz and you'll see why. That's why buddy with alot of state troopers, plus live next to one. Need all the help I can get.:notworthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phat Hog Posted May 30, 2003 Share Posted May 30, 2003 I imagine we might see a few other "guns" appear if this one passes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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