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Cameras Lie

“It’s unconstitutional,” said longtime Escondido resident Scott Davis on June 23, speaking in front of the Escondido City Council to address the red-light cameras within city limits. The city, according to the police department, has seven intersections with cameras. Davis says that the red-light violators are expected to pay a $486 ticket, only $55 of which goes to the City of Escondido.

“That’s not right,” said Davis. “I want to know where the money goes to.” As the registered owner of a vehicle that was caught by a red-light camera, Davis was issued a citation. “I will not pay the fine,” he said. “That camera cannot prove that I was a driver — $486 is not a minor traffic offense.”

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Davis pointed out that the system cannot prove that the people receiving the tickets are the actual drivers of the vehicle captured by the camera. The current policy issues a citation to registered owners of the vehicle, instead of the former method of sending the registered owner a letter asking to identify the driver of the vehicle.

“The agenda is not right: it’s a camera, it can’t prove,” said Davis. “It’s not sworn; it’s not a deputy. It’s a camera! And if I have to go to jail for it, I will go to jail for it, and then I will take the City of Escondido to court.”

Besides the problem of cameras not being sworn deputies, the red-light-camera program is costly. With lower revenues from citations, Escondido is projecting a deficit for fiscal year 2009–'10 for the operation of the cameras.

The police department has reported a decrease in vehicle collisions each year since 2006, when the first cameras were installed.

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“It’s unconstitutional,” said longtime Escondido resident Scott Davis on June 23, speaking in front of the Escondido City Council to address the red-light cameras within city limits. The city, according to the police department, has seven intersections with cameras. Davis says that the red-light violators are expected to pay a $486 ticket, only $55 of which goes to the City of Escondido.

“That’s not right,” said Davis. “I want to know where the money goes to.” As the registered owner of a vehicle that was caught by a red-light camera, Davis was issued a citation. “I will not pay the fine,” he said. “That camera cannot prove that I was a driver — $486 is not a minor traffic offense.”

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Davis pointed out that the system cannot prove that the people receiving the tickets are the actual drivers of the vehicle captured by the camera. The current policy issues a citation to registered owners of the vehicle, instead of the former method of sending the registered owner a letter asking to identify the driver of the vehicle.

“The agenda is not right: it’s a camera, it can’t prove,” said Davis. “It’s not sworn; it’s not a deputy. It’s a camera! And if I have to go to jail for it, I will go to jail for it, and then I will take the City of Escondido to court.”

Besides the problem of cameras not being sworn deputies, the red-light-camera program is costly. With lower revenues from citations, Escondido is projecting a deficit for fiscal year 2009–'10 for the operation of the cameras.

The police department has reported a decrease in vehicle collisions each year since 2006, when the first cameras were installed.

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