Caught speeding on camera, police officers refuse to pay tickets
03-11-2008, 02:11 PM
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Caught speeding on camera, police officers refuse to pay tickets
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/0...peeding_police
ROCKVILLE, Md. - No matter what the cameras say, some drivers are refusing to pay dozens of $40 speeding fines.
Who? Police officers.
In the last eight months of 2007, Montgomery County's new speed cameras recorded 224 cases in which police vehicles were recorded travelling more than 15 kilometres an hour over the speed limit, according to department records.
Supervisors dismissed 76 of those citations after determining the officers were responding to calls or had valid reasons to break the speed limit.
But that left 148 who didn't have that excuse, and about two-thirds of those citations haven't been paid, said police Lt. Paul Starks.
The police union says officers shouldn't pay because the citations are issued to the owner of a vehicle, in this case the county, and not to the driver.
Police Chief Thomas Manger doesn't buy that argument.
"We are not above the law," Manger said. "It is imperative that the police department hold itself to the same standards that we're holding the public to."
Manger said officers who continue to ignore citations might be disciplined.
Who? Police officers.
In the last eight months of 2007, Montgomery County's new speed cameras recorded 224 cases in which police vehicles were recorded travelling more than 15 kilometres an hour over the speed limit, according to department records.
Supervisors dismissed 76 of those citations after determining the officers were responding to calls or had valid reasons to break the speed limit.
But that left 148 who didn't have that excuse, and about two-thirds of those citations haven't been paid, said police Lt. Paul Starks.
The police union says officers shouldn't pay because the citations are issued to the owner of a vehicle, in this case the county, and not to the driver.
Police Chief Thomas Manger doesn't buy that argument.
"We are not above the law," Manger said. "It is imperative that the police department hold itself to the same standards that we're holding the public to."
Manger said officers who continue to ignore citations might be disciplined.
Make 'em burn!
03-11-2008, 03:15 PM
#5
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That's my town on top of that.
03-11-2008, 03:16 PM
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The part of this that bothers me is the speeding cameras in Montgomery County are only on roads 35MPH or slower, which means neighborhoods, school zones, shopping areas; i.e., high pedestrian traffic.
Take the fine out of their pay checks.
Take the fine out of their pay checks.
03-11-2008, 03:16 PM
#7
Fahrvergnügen'd
The police union says officers shouldn't pay because the citations are issued to the owner of a vehicle, in this case the county, and not to the driver.
Maybe the union can take the state to court and win one for the rest of us ...
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03-11-2008, 03:26 PM
#8
I shoot people
I was in traffic school once (one of those comedy ones), in the beginning they always go around the room, and everyone stands up and introduce ourselves... say what we got the ticket for and say what we do for a living... well, one of the people in my class was a LAPD!! Apparently, he got a ticket with a red light camera... and couldn't get off for it... It was pretty cool.. cuz he told us some things about what goes on inside the notorious LAPD
03-11-2008, 03:39 PM
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Originally Posted by charliemike
Yeah, that excuse doesn't work for the rest of us either.
Maybe the union can take the state to court and win one for the rest of us ...
Maybe the union can take the state to court and win one for the rest of us ...
What do you mean? The ticket is sent to the owner of the vehicle. Does someone regularly drive your car and rack up a bunch of tickets? Otherwise I don't see how a ruling on this would affect anyone other than those who drive company/government vehicles.
03-11-2008, 08:43 PM
#10
Originally Posted by mrsteve
The part of this that bothers me is the speeding cameras in Montgomery County are only on roads 35MPH or slower, which means neighborhoods, school zones, shopping areas; i.e., high pedestrian traffic.
03-11-2008, 08:51 PM
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The cameras are in good places. My point is the cops are speeding in areas targeted for speeders due to their high pedestrian traffic... the worst possible area.
Last edited by mrsteve; 03-11-2008 at 08:55 PM.
03-12-2008, 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by mrsteve
What do you mean? The ticket is sent to the owner of the vehicle. Does someone regularly drive your car and rack up a bunch of tickets? Otherwise I don't see how a ruling on this would affect anyone other than those who drive company/government vehicles.
03-12-2008, 12:21 PM
#15
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If I've had a dollar for every time I've seen a cop slowly pull up to a red light... look around, throw on his sirens, and then blow the red light... 
03-12-2008, 03:03 PM
#16
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Police Chief Thomas Manger doesn't buy that argument.
"We are not above the law," Manger said. "It is imperative that the police department hold itself to the same standards that we're holding the public to."
Manger said officers who continue to ignore citations might be disciplined.
"We are not above the law," Manger said. "It is imperative that the police department hold itself to the same standards that we're holding the public to."
Manger said officers who continue to ignore citations might be disciplined.
03-12-2008, 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted by ggesq
Hypothetically speaking, a person accused of a crime (in this scenario- a driver of a speeding vehicle) has the right to face their accuser. If the policy is to send tickets to the owner of the vehicle, without an eye witness like an actual LEO pulling you over and handing you a ticket personally, how can the gov't prove you were actually driving the vehicle and deserve the ticket i.e. you can't cross examine a camera?
I'm not a fan of the cameras. But they work. The penalty is only a fine. No points.
The argument you posted is why the cameras in Virginia have been taken down.
