Good Morning, everyone,
This email is a bit long, and I chose to respond to two discussions with one, so I don't clog up the debate with email after email after email. My apologies, in advance, for my wordiness; I like to be precise and clear. This often takes time and space.
As such, and since the first attempt bounced because it exceeded the 10K limit (27K email), I'm having to break it into three parts. I know I'm restricted to two emails per 24 hours, so I'll not respond to anything for the remainder of the weekend.
...part one...
Dan McGrath of Longfellow wrote:
> I have read several articles on red-light cameras from other cites where
> they have been implemented. The concensus of articles and opinions I have
> read on the subject is that they end up being used primarily as a revenue
> generator, and the lights wind up being configured to cause the most
> possible violations. Yellow cycles are shortened, for example, to catch
> drivers by surprize with a red, and snap. A citation is issued.
Can you direct me to some research on this, please? I would like to know more. It sounds like the sort of thing that would really happen but the same can be said of most Urban Legends. <chuckle> In other words, I trust what you're saying but I'd like to read up on the figures for myself.
Dan McGrath continued:
> Additionally, the party responsible for issuing the citations is the company
> who installs the cameras, and has an economic interest in raising the number
> of citations issued, as they share the revenue with the city which contracts
> them. This is clearly not about public safety. It is not the way laws are
> supposed to be enforced (by contractors with an economic interest).
This is a very legitimate concern, whether or not there is evidence to support it (although I'd like some). Either way, it is my hope that the Minneapolis City Council would, before enacting any sort of camera system, make certain that it is, from bottom to top, answerable to voters and NOT maintained by a private venture. In any sort of law enforcement, no matter how trivial or "misdemeanor"-ish (I know, I know ... it's not a word), I prefer for there to be accountability.
And, yes, I also am aware that there have been serious questions about the police, as they exist, and their accountability, but I feel even more threatened by a private entity who is beholden to a "bottom line." Law enforcement should not, ever, be put in the hands of for-profit institutions who have to watch their bottom lines as the final arbiter of their decisions. Civil rights and public safety should be top priorities that always trump financial concerns.
Next, Robert P. Goldman responded to my email with some very good, and thoughtful insights to the differences between technology and how it is used. To be clear, in case I gave the incorrect perception in my last email, I do not distrust the technology; I distrust how it may be dispassionately utilized. I do not like a faceless enforcement of the law. I prefer to be able to see my accuser -a police officer- and, whether he's polite or not- be reassured that he is just as alive as I am.
Yours,
David J Rust
NE Minneapolis
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