Let’s Ban Red Light Cameras in Humble, TX

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I was recently asked why KWTP strongly supports Red Light Camera Bans.

This was my reply:

First off, I agree that it often seems the police and sheriffs don’t ticket dangerous driving on the roads. However, that is a separate issue.

There is a very slippery slope we are fighting today. People are trying to sue a company  like Remington, when their guns are used to murder someone. Guns do not murder anyone, people do. It has been proven that without guns people are murdered by hands, feet, knives, etc. Relating that to the red light cameras:

They are unconstitutional: Cars do not drive through red lights, drivers do. The owner may not be the driver, yet he is liable for his car’s ticket. This is so wrong in a free country. If there is a problem, the appropriate policing agency needs to personally ticket them.

They have been shown to cause more accidents: Red light cameras have also been shown to cause more accidents when drivers slam on their brakes to stop in order to prevent the camera from ticketing them. 

Yellow lights are often shortened to entrap violations: Many areas actually shorten the yellow light to entrap drivers into going through the intersection. This is both illegal for them to do, and also causes more accidents. Humble has been guilty of this in the past and may still be. We are researching this now.

The pictures are not fool-proof. I received a ticket at the I-59 light. I stopped BEHIND the line, but had to move up to clearly view the intersection before turning right on red. The camera got me after my complete stop, when I moved up. 

They are illegal: Humble and other Texas cities contract with Arizona vendors which have been taken to court and ruled as violating Arizona laws. Customers in Texas were not exempted from this ruling. So our tickets are actually illegal. Legally, this means payment of these tickets is VOLUNTARY.

Primarily, this is a FREEDOM issue. Cars don’t break laws, drivers do.

Secondly, too many municipalities use it as a way to provide them more money so they don’t have to be fiscally responsible. Local Texas debt is second only to that of New York State. 

Cordially,

Robin

The Payment of Red Light Camera Fines is VOLUNTARY!

The THREAT to deny VEHICLE REGISTRATION RENEWAL or TRANSFER for unpaid red light camera fines is FALSE.

Texas Red Light Camera and Speed Ticket Photo Radar systems are operated via Arizona-based camera vendors that have been shut down in Arizona due to illegal activities.

Registrations will continue to be renewed and transferred in Fort Bend, Harris, Austin, and Waller counties. This can be verified by calling the appropriate county tax office.

Harris County Tax Office, Mike Sullivan, Tax Assessor-Collector: 713-274-8000

Despite Notices, Harris County Will Not Prevent Vehicle Registration for Unpaid Red Light Camera Fines

Not dated, but Mike Sullivan was still Councilman for District E.

From the Article at Tad Nelson & Associates:
Read entire document.

Harris County officials stated that outstanding citations would not prevent residents from registering their vehicles. So notices saying otherwise sent to residents with an outstanding misdemeanor traffic violation from a red light camera may have come as a shock.

The Houston Police Department sent notices to 79,000 residents that they would not be able to register their vehicles because of unpaid red light camera fines.

Residents of Harris County who have received these notices will not be prevented from registering their vehicles, regardless of what the notice says. However, residents of surrounding counties who received the notices and those attempting to register their vehicle online may be prevented from registering their vehicles.

Texas C4L calls for end to illegal ticket cameras

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Read entire document.
April 18, 2016

Red Light Camera and Speed ticket Photo Radar systems are currently shut down in Arizona due to illegal activities by the Arizona based camera vendors. The Arizona Attorney General issued an opinion that their handling of evidence to process camera tickets violates Arizona law requiring anyone handling evidence for the courts to hold a private investigator license. Each camera ticket processed without a license is a class 1 criminal misdemeanor under Arizona law.

Every Texas city and county that uses Photo Radar or Red Light cameras to issue tickets contracts with these same Arizona camera companies who have been breaking the law. They are still processing tickets against Texas drivers illegally under Arizona law… By processing evidence for Texas cities and counties in Arizona every ticket issued in Texas is based on evidence that was illegally obtained.

Based on this information and the long history of corruption, abuse and violations of state laws and the U.S. Constitution associated with these camera vendors Texas Campaign for Liberty and our members stand united in demanding;

• An immediate cessation of all photo enforcement ticketing in Texas that is processed illegally in Arizona.
  
  
• A full and immediate refund of all photo radar tickets ever issued by any city, county or other local authority since inception. 
• A complete investigation by Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton into wrongdoing on the part of the camera vendors and local authorities who are profiting from the criminal acts.

Texas Campaign For Liberty has been the leader in Texas fighting against the dangerous, corrupt and unconstitutional photo enforcement ticket cameras. Last year the Texas Senate passed a statewide camera ban only to have it die in the House Transportation committee. The cameras are against the will of Texas voters, only serve as a revenue generator not a safety tool and invite bribery, corruption and a motive for profit at the expense of safety.

AZ C4L AG opinion

Crashes decline at Longview intersections after red light cameras removed

By Jimmy Isaac
April 16, 2016 at 11:18 p.m.
Click graphic to read article.

From the Article:

“In the 10 months since City Council members ordered red light cameras taken down at 10 intersections, reported crashes at those intersections have decreased, dropping 2.4 percent compared with the final 10 months the cameras were in use.“

Read more.

This is why red light cameras are doomed

by Ryan Gorman, Article link:
Business Insider, Apr. 23, 2015, 7:37 PM

From the Article:

“Opposition to the hated devices may finally have reached a tipping point as lawmakers in Illinois, Texas and California move toward legislation to ban them on both civil rights grounds and monetary reasons.”

Read more.