Beep. I am The CopBot. You Are Guilty. Beep. Pay Up.

[riqster]

http://bluntandcranky.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/beep-i-am-the-copbot-you-are-guilty-beep-pay-up/

Snip:"They are calling it “The Devil’s Bill”, California AB number 666 (yes, that really is the number): a bill that would give robotic cameras more rights than you have. The gist: is as follows: if you get a ticket in the mail from a red-light camera, you are guilty. No appeal. No judge, no rights, no nothing. Due process? We don’t need no stinking due process."

More at the link.

[Th1onein]

1. K & R nt

[rsdsharp]

2. It would be interesting to read the actual bill

We have speed cameras in my city, and the right wing absolutely hates them. They don't argue they aren't speeding, just that they don't like the cameras.

The penalty is also civil, and doesn't go on your driving record. The process is much the same as described in the link. A picture of the vehicle (including license plate) and radar reading is sent to the person to whom the car is registered. However, the penalty only kicks in if the radar reading is more than 10 miles over the speed limit, and there IS a method to contest the ticket, and I'm guessing that is true in this bill as well, which is why I'd like to see the bill. Doing so would probably be a waste of time, though, unless you had loaned the car to someone else, or had a similar type of excuse.

[riqster]

3. Here it is

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_0651-0700/ab_666_bill_20130319_amended_asm_v98.html

[rsdsharp]

4. Thanks

The language below (and other language in the bill implementing it) does away with the lack of due process argument. The bill also allows the registered owner to identify who was driving, if it wasn't the owner, and avoid the penalty.

"This bill would instead require violations recorded by an automated traffic enforcement system to be cited as civil violations,
subject to a civil penalty, administrative process, and appeal in superior court. "

[backscatter712]

5. I wonder if you can evade the ticket like you can in Colorado.

In Colorado, the law says red-light-camera and photo-radar tickets have to be served to you in 90 days, or they're null and void.

They mail you the tickets, but that's not actual service - you can claim the notice was lost in the mail, which is why they're supposed to have process servers or police officers serve you the tickets in person. They threaten to do that, and threaten to charge you extra on the ticket if they do serve you in person.

95% of the time, they don't bother, which means that if you completely ignore the ticket, at least in Colorado, it goes away. Though you might want to avoid answering your doorbell for 90 days after you receive the ticket, just in case.

[blkmusclmachine]

6. Due process and all that other fancy legal stuff? Pfft!

We got Drones !!!!!!!!!

[Brigid]

7. Sounds like the good folks of Caifornia's legislature . . .

Are getting their ideas from "Demolition Man."