Database Loophole Lets Legislators Avoid Photo Radar Tickets

lemur3 writes "State legislators in Colorado have not been receiving speeding tickets due to inadequacies in the implementation of a DMV database. The current system ties plates to vehicles rather than to individuals, the special plates for legislators are issued to individuals. The result is that there is no entry in the database for the special plates when the automated photo radar system is triggered, this means nobody receives a citation. In one case a Colorado resident, who had vanity plates reading '33,' received the photo radar citations intended for Senator Mike Johnston representing district 33, whose vehicle was identified by a '33' on his special plate. Lt. Matt Murray of the Denver Police, speaking of the system commented, 'Our system works, the database works. What needs to happen is the state's database need to be complete.'"

Comments

The real question for me is...

[hedgemage]

Why do legislators need special license plates? What sets them apart from us plebs in the rank and file? I'm sure that they don't have problems parking at the statehouse, so other than notifying law enforcement that they're 'special' why different plates?

Re:The real question for me is...

[nitehawk214]

Lawmakers driving between legislative events have immunity from prosecution under legislative privilege.

A tight vote could be swayed by stopping a few key political people.

So they write in a free movment rule - the ability not to be stopped while going ~to vote.

Bullshit. I mean, that is likely the story they tell people....

The real reason is that no cop is going to pull over and ticket a legislator once they see the plate. Police budgets are set by legislature, don't bite the hand that feeds you. It is the same reason why cops have that FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) sticker on their licence plate or car.

Silly rabbit ...

[Gription]

Because they made the rules, so of course they made them to their own advantage.

Re:The photos should include the driver

[FuzzNugget]

Indeed, a plate number is not a human being (hmmm... sounds awfully familiar) and they should be required to capture both the plate number *and* a clear, recognizable photo of the driver's face. This should merely be evidence collected for the state (or crown, depending on where you live) and not considered a foregone conclusion.

Where I live, a facial photo is not required and there have been numerous occasions where the cameras were rigged.

My dad received a ticket for "speeding" in a construction zone on a Sunday afternoon WHEN NO ONE WAS WORKING. He was doing the posted speed limit, but not the implied lower speed limit for a construction zone that only applies when workers are present. Someone obviously "forgot" to switch the trap off. Reports of miscalibrated radars, hidden traps, shortened yellows and predatory enforcement abound.

And they know *exactly* how to keep you on the hook for it: a photo radar ticket is slightly less expensive than taking a day off to fight it in court, it doesn't count against your driving record (making less worthwhile to fight and they can keep dinging you endlessly) and court dates can be set *years* into the future.

Any photo radar system that doesn't require a human to be irrefutably identified a flat-out scam, plain and simple.

Re:Just as intended

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

For every ticket that was questionable, I went down to the city building, waited a short amount of time to have my story heard, and the tickets were nullified.

It really couldn't be any easier.

Taking time off during the workday to go to court to fight a ticket that shouldn't have been issued in the first place is easy?

Sounds like Stockholm syndrome to me.

Re:The photos should include the driver

[KPU]

Is there any legitimate usage of the word surcharge or does it always mean scam?