Photo radar protest again to hit Edmonton streets

Technology sucks LTC (Join to see), you cant get away with anything anymore. Its like the cop cars that have the license plate readers. While I am all for locking up criminals and keeping them where they belong, I feel that is an invasion of privacy.

Interesting... This is Like the Red Light Cameras Down Here and they are quickly being Removed ... Because they being challenged and the Tickets are being thrown out...

LTC (Join to see) A couple of points from an unbiased [ :-)-- LOL ] former Military Police officer...

(1) Radar, whether fixed (camera) or mobile (police patrol) identify people who are speeding (i.e., breaking the law). They do not impact people who are driving within the speed limit.

(2) In many jurisdictions, holding a sign as depicted in the picture, flashing lights, or other methods of warning traffic of police radar is, itself, a violation ("Impeding a Police Operation" or some other charge -- although some have been challenged in court as a protected activity IAW the 1st Amendment -- right of free speech).

A funny story... Back in the mid-90s, while I was serving at the US Army Europe (USAREUR) Provost Marshal Office, we used to get radar pictures from the Polizei for vehicles that had USAREUR tags, for us to identify the registered owner, IAW the SOFA Agreement. We would run the plates and send the info to the Polizei who, in turn, would send the ticket to the owner of the vehicle.

There was a radar camera set up outside Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg. One young soldier had received a couple of tickets from that camera and decided to show the Polizei what he thought about their radar. He covered his front and rear license tag, put on a gorilla mask, and drove past the camera at a high rate of speed (much higher than the posted speed limit), with his masked head out the window and "shooting a bird" at the camera. As he predicted, the radar activated, took his picture, and the Polizei sent it to us to determine who the driver was.

What the soldier forgot was that all USAREUR-plated cars also had a window sticker with the USAREUR plate number on it. That was an anti-terrorism method we implemented due to the number of USAREUR plates that had been stolen from cars. The sticker (which could not be removed intact) was checked by MPs, as well as the plates, as vehicles entered US facilities. The picture clearly showed the plate number, even though the actual tags had been masked.

Because I am so soft-hearted (LOL) and not wanting the soldier to feel the wrath of the Polizei for this stunt (whom I assume were not happy about it), I called the soldier in, showed him the picture, and "counseled" him... (No, I did not include his chain of command). I had the USAREUR Motor Vehicle Registry reissue new tags to him and reported to the Polizei that the vehicle was no longer registered and that the owner had PCSd out of USAREUR. Case closed...