Receiving a traffic violation ticket can be a very nerve wrecking experience for many people and for several different reasons. Not knowing what the ticket is for or not being in a financial position to cover an extra unexpected expense is very stressful for one individual. Being pulled over by a police officer is also a very nerve wrecking experience especially when the reason is unknown but even more nerve wrecking when the reason is known. But the chances of a police officer waiting at an intersection for traffic violators is very slim. Thanks to technology, police officers are no longer needed at intersections and traffic lights, they are being replaced by ‘Red-light Cameras’. The human eye is limited and makes it very difficult for …show more content…
Slow down and stop or speed up to get through it, it all depends on the distance and the speed travelling. The yellow light means to slow down, however, most people do not; they take a chance and go through it. Now after the invention and installation of red-light cameras all over the world, drivers have an even bigger decision to make. Go through the yellow light and take the chance of getting a ticket if the light turns red or try to stop regardless of the speed the car is moving. Though the reasonable answer would be to stop, it’s not that simple. A lot of drivers hesitate while driving, especially when it comes to yellow lights. So, if a driver hesitates, and decides he doesn’t want to take the chance of getting a ticket then the only other option would be to slam on the brakes and take the chance of causing an accident. This reason is one out of many to prove red light cameras to be unnecessary on the streets. An “increase of 5% in the number of injury crashes. The number of rear-end crashes turned out to have increased significantly.” (De). Not only can these cameras mess up financial situations, but now it’s causing accidents. It is crazy to think that making something “good” for the world turns out to be for the worst. Statistics show that these cameras need to be taken down and thrown in the trash. This invention was supposed to prevent accidents and it is actually causing them. …show more content…
But getting one through the mail, unnoticed is outrageous. New York Times reporter John Quaint agrees when making this statement in his article, “A $50 ticket for running a red light is unpleasant enough, but when it is received in the mail without warning, generated from an unmarked camera, it can cause resentment.” Majority of the people in the world have bills to pay. Regardless of the amount of income a family has coming in, the bills are due and any extra or unexpected bills can have a great effect and can even cause financial restraint. The amount of income that sustains each American home varies by the millions, but there are many people that live from paycheck to paycheck. Living from paycheck to paycheck means that an individual’s or a household’s total income matches their total expenses with little to no extra funds remaining to save or to splurge. People with financial situations just as this cannot afford to receive any unexpected bills because they simply cannot afford to pay it. Being forced to pay extra bills causes people to go into debt. These people end up owing the government money that they do not have, or if they decided to borrow the money from a loved one, they then owe that person money, or vice versa. All of this just because there are no signs warning people that they are being watched. Not only can a red light violation ticket cause someone to go into debt, it can also
The individuals with wide diversity have different requirements. They are facing many difficulties due to this management system. 2 Among them, the Red Light camera is one most controversial issue of the local and state governments. The controversy of the red light camera between local and state government was started from early 2000’s and is still continuing. Similarly, the committee of Texas voted 8 out of 22 approving a bill to ban the authorization of Red Light’s contract. Likewise, the major controversial topic in Austin and Dallas is about the Red light camera. In addition, the main purpose of keeping Red Light camera was to prevent the possible road accident. But the Red Light camera didn’t provide the strong witness in identifying the drivers. Therefore, the State government didn’t find it
I think body cameras on police officers are worth the expense. Abby Phillips from the Washington Post says “At the 1 year memorial for Michael Brown,Tyrone Harris was supposedly armed with a 9mm Sig Sauer that was reported stolen last year so the cops opened fire on him and he is now in critical condition. His family and friends denied that he was armed.” (Phillips 1) We should have body cameras on police officers because it would show evidence of what actually happened at this crime scene and many others that are still being questioned. The cameras would basically show if there is any foul play from the cop and or if it was the actual suspects fault. Having the camera’s would end all of the questioning in police cases
First advantage in law enforcement agents wearing body cameras is to hold the officers accountable. “Holding the officers accountable, will ensure the officer adheres to policies and procedures during an encounter with victims and suspects.” Body-worn cameras are poised to help boost accountability for law enforcement and citizens and, unlike many new police technologies, the cameras share preliminary support from both law enforcement and social justice groups. Successful implementation of the cameras will require careful policies that respect and protect both the police and the public.
Within recent years there has been much controversy surrounding police officers and whether or not they should be wearing body cameras to document their everyday interactions with the public. While the use of body cameras may seem to invade the public or police privacy. Police-worn body cameras will be beneficial to law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Police must be equipped with body cameras to alleviate any doubt in the effectiveness of officers. Law enforcement worn body cameras would enhance the trust of the public by keeping both the officers and the citizens accountable for their actions, providing evidence, and helping protect them from false accusations, while protecting privacy
Police body worn cameras are recording devices used by the officers when they are on patrol, which are used for the deterrence of excessive use of force (Ariel et al. 510). The body cameras present a different frontier in the prevention of excessive force since they record the real images the police are watching. The devices are now advocated as useful tools for policing the force. The Department of Internal Affairs often relies on its footage to understand the circumstances surrounding the usage of the excessive force or a complaint on the police behavior. The tools, which are an extension of dashboard cameras, are often worn on the chest and can present the point of view of the officer as they are patrolling or tacking a criminal.
Odessa’s April 15 "Red for a Reason" campaign resulted in 65 citations in about three hours, most of them for either red light violations or railroad crossing violations. This shows that traffic violations, whether intentional or unintentional, are a problem in our area. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to avoid those small traffic violations, which may lead to a traffic citation.
Cameras on school buses to enforce stop arm violations sound like an amazing solution to the ongoing problem of too many drivers behind vehicles running the red flashing lights and the stop sign when children are loading and unloading the bus. However, will this purposed objective iron out the issue at hand. To see if the cameras on the school bus are reaching the goal they were sit to accomplish. There must be an evaluation done on a comparison of the numbers of violations caught before and after the cameras were installed, has there been a decreased in the number of motorist running a stopped school bus, and if the cost of the cameras is being met over the citations that are being issued.
Before the creation of these cameras, complaints about police officers were numerous. By using these cameras, studies have shown that they enhance officers’ behaviors and have also helped reduce citizen complaints. “They found that the ‘officers wearing the cameras had 87.5 percent fewer incidents of use of force and 59 percent fewer complaints than the officers not wearing the cameras,’ the report states”
Today, law enforcement agencies, or more specifically police officers, are under constant scrutiny from their peers as well as outside sources. Many of these problems arise from how the police treat and deal with these citizens. There is however a solution to these problems, which can not only improve officer safety, but can also protect anyone else that the officer encounters. The solution to this problem is officer mounted camera systems, or better known as body cameras. These body cameras capture almost everything an officer see’s as well as hears. This allows for protection against a police officer as well as protection for a citizen who was scrutinized for something he or she might have done or not. Body cameras are ever increasing in policing and have many benefit’s as well as draw backs.
I could not people that believe actually have to question if it has something to do with their rights. People want to point the fingers at the government so bad. When really it does not work like that. The government and state have those red light cameras so that they can protect people. I think that they handle it very well. Some people will agree with the lights and some people will disagree it just all up to the individual and their point of view on things. Of course some people will wonder where the money goes when they pay the ticket that is no surprise for me. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety website, most, if not all, of the fines collected go to maintaining and purchasing the camera. Defense attorneys who handle traffic violations assert the part of the revenue from the camera that exceeds the cost of maintenance, is required to go to local traffic safety programs and a regional trauma account. Just like when you get a speeding ticket you do not really question where the money goes you have to just pay the ticket and where ever it goes it just goes. I think that they handle the
Some of the ways that police abuse the law is by creating unneeded tickets, wrongfully taking others possessions and using excessive force, usually referred to as “police brutality.” In some cases, allegations of police brutality are false; however, some officers use unnecessary force and innocent people suffer. In America, there are numerous cases of law enforcers that harass innocent citizens physically, mentally or verbally. Police men and women are supposed to prevent crime, not create it. “One of the main reasons that police brutality occurs is due to the mental, as well as physical, health of the officer. One of the underlying causes of these syndromes or states of being is the lack of wages, which is brought on by less funding to the police” (Cao). Dashboard cameras are one attempt to help stop police abuse but they are easily able to be removed and turned off and are under the control of the officer. If the officer did abuse somebody he could erase the footage on the camera before he even got back to the department. A new, better, solution is mounting Point of View (P.O.V.) cameras on the officers with a live feed leading to one central computer in charge of monitoring these cameras. Daniel B Wood, a professor at the University of Texas A&M, stated in the article “Why The Police Are Hard To Police,” “Mounting cameras on a police officer through federal funding will lower the amount of criminals that were not convicted because of a lack of
It will also be helpful to modify the traffic lights to make them more visible. Upgraded speed cameras will control most people that speed by taking a picture of their license plate and vehicle and giving them a moving violation ticket. Control officers will catch any drivers who are not following traffic laws and will give them a ticket as well. Safety programs in vehicles will help people to do things more safely such as making a call or sending a message. An all-red clearance light will cause all the lights on the intersection to stay red for at least five seconds to ensure that vehicles on all sides are stopped. Making the traffic lights in Surprise more visible whether it be making the lights larger, or switching out the bulbs with stronger, more opaque lights, will also help reduce the number of traffic accidents. The cost for the speed cameras, control officers, dynamic message boards, and implementing an all-red clearance interval have been calculated, however the cost of safety programs in vehicles and modifying current traffic lights are to be determined.
Rialto, California is an example of a city with positive results from the use of body-cameras. In Rialto, police began wearing body-cameras a little less than three years ago. As a result of officers wearing body-cameras, citizens’ complaints against police officers dropped 88 percent and use of force by police officers dropped 60 percent from the previous 12 month period when body-cameras were not in use. Rialto’s police chief said, “When you put a camera on a police officer, they tend to behave a little better, follow the rules a little better. And if the citizen knows the officer is wearing a camera, chances are the citizen will behave a little better” (Lovett).
Drivers who are aware of the abusive cameras are constantly caught up trying to avoid getting an outrageous ticket; therefore, in attempt to avoid them, drivers are unexpectedly and furiously coming to abrupt stops. In result of the urgent and sudden stop of driver A (the first one to cross the intersection), braking quickly doesn’t give driver B neither enough time or physical room to move out of the way, consequently resulting in a rear-end collision, sometimes involving more than just two drivers. The driver’s panic to evade the ticket ends up caught up in the misfortunes of an even sadder circumstance. Leading reasons for this is thanks to the intentional decrease of yellow-light length times. Studies have shown that since the installment of the cameras there has been intentional scheming to cut the period of yellow light to catch as many victims as possible. It has been verified that increasing yellow-lights to at least one second more would decrease the number of accidents by over 45%. (Maass). An extra reason for which there is
However, this method of traffic enforcement is not without its drawbacks. Intersection monitoring with RLCs is not acceptable because they increase rear end collisions, suffer legal uncertainties, and effective alternative methods are available.