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From: gpsman on 1 Apr 2010 15:00 Hamilton rolls out area's first 'speed van' By Janice Morse March 31, 2010 HAMILTON - It's a new twist on an old adage: You can't outrun a police radioor a police speed-enforcement camera. Thursday, Hamilton, the Butler County seat, becomes the first community in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky to begin using such a camera, officials said. The department is rolling out its new, unmanned speed-enforcement van, which an Arizona company, Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., supplied at no cost. In exchange for the equipment and for administering the program, Redflex reaps a chunk of the $95 fine collected from violators; the city gets 52 percent of the amount. For the first 30 days, officials will send out warning letters to registered owners of vehicles captured on the van's camera, which is linked to radar and a computer. The camera's shutter is rigged to photograph only vehicles that blast through school zones and other targeted areas by at least 9 mph over the limit. "We're not out to nit-pick drivers," said Sgt. Craig Bucheit, city police spokesman. Instead, the goal is to improve community safety, he said. Starting May 1, citations will be mailed, giving alleged violators three choices: paying the fine, signing an affidavit listing another person as the driver or requesting a hearing to fight the ticket. Violations are not put on the vehicle owner's state driving record and also are not reported to insurance companies. But failure to pay the fine could be reported to a credit bureau, officials said. Such cameras have been controversial in some states because of privacy concerns and questions as to whether they're really effective in improving safety - or just good at generating revenue. "There's always a vocal minority who are opposed to this type of enforcement of traffic laws," says Redflex spokeswoman Shoba Vaitheeswaran. But she points out that red-light and speed-camera technology has been in use for at least 20 years in the U.S. - longer in Europe - and has withstood court challenges. Further, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says these programs work. Speed cameras are being used in at least 13 states, including Ohio and Arizona, where all state routes are monitored, the Institute says. "Automated speed enforcement can substantially reduce speeding," the Institute says, noting its studies in Maryland, Arizona and the District of Columbia found a 70 percent to 95 percent reduction in drivers exceeding speed limits by at least 10 mph. Because the van is unmanned, officers can focus on enforcing other laws instead of being tied up running radar, Vaitheeswaran said. In Hamilton, the program comes at a time when there are 25 fewer officers on the streets because of budget cuts, notes Police Chief Neil Ferdelman. "Is there a financial element? Sure, there is," he said, but the more important objective is to save lives. http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20100331/NEWS01/4010331/0/NEWS0103/Hamilton-unveils-area-s-first-speed-van ----- - gpsman
From: richard on 1 Apr 2010 17:45 On Thu, 1 Apr 2010 12:00:13 -0700 (PDT), gpsman wrote: > Hamilton rolls out area's first 'speed van' > > By Janice Morse �E March 31, 2010 > > HAMILTON - It's a new twist on an old adage: You can't outrun a police > radio�Xor a police speed-enforcement camera. > They should check Ohio law first. It has already been ruled that no such cameras can operate on any US or State highway. On their own city streets is ok.
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