Quote:
Originally Posted by sc_rufctr
I believe the Police are the good guys. They're on our side.
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When it comes to enforcing traffic laws, nothing could be further from the truth.
First of all, traffic enforcement is not about public safety, but about generating revenue. "Driving school" as a punishment is evidence of this. It is also the one time that most of the public comes into contact with the police, and they are routinely treated no better than career criminals. I have personally have had an officer call me a potential killer for being 1 mph over the limit. Somehow, crossing that number magically turned me from a mild-mannered citizen to a vicious sociapath. Nevermind that 1 mph is well withing the margin of error for both my speedometer AND any radar or laser gun. Nevermind that just an extra second of paying attention to a distracted driver around me would easily allow me to pick up that 1 mph on a mild downhill stretch.
Second, due process has been removed from traffic infractions in practice. Many states deny people accused of traffic offenses trial by jury. States with traffic cameras (be they red light of speeding) have denied the accused the right to face their accuser. Further, most tickets issued by such cameras presume guilt. You must turn in another guilty party to be deemed innocent. Imagine if murder trials worked that way. Come to think of it, you are presumed guilty whether or not a traffic camera is involved. Go to a traffic court. The only evidence required for conviction is an officer saying he saw you speeding. He may have used a radar or laser gun, but the gun itself and a log of the speeds it measured at what times is not required. This would be analogous to a DNA expert simply testifying that the accused is guilty, with no supporting documentation or explanation of the process. Appeals are all but unheard of in traffic court. They purposefully keep the cost of fines below the cost of an appeal so it is not worth it financially to challenge a guilty ruling. This ensures that violations of due process are never challenged, AND the money keeps rolling in.