Attn: Huntingtown area folks and others....

[NOTSMC]

No honest to god traffic enforcement with real tickets written by real officers with real penalties. Not just two guys running radar/laser enforcement and known places three times a month to earn the freaking grant money to do it again on overtime.

Why aren't they doing that already I wonder. I finally convinced myself to take a beat and look completely around before I proceed at a light, or pull over on the shoulder to let the asswipe on my bumper pass but let me tell you, it sure goes against my self-righteous grain. The safety dudes at SM college don't have any authority to pull people over do they?

 

[glhs837]

Why aren't they doing that already I wonder. I finally convinced myself to take a beat and look completely around before I proceed at a light, or pull over on the shoulder to let the asswipe on my bumper pass but let me tell you, it sure goes against my self-righteous grain. The safety dudes at SM college don't have any authority to pull people over do they?

No St. Mary's college police have no authority outside of campus personnel. As for why St Mary's county sheriff in the state or not doing more than occasional laser patrols and DUI runs? Looked into this and spent some time talking to cops on the largest law enforcement forum in the country years back.

What is Officer Bob want more than anything else in his life? The most important thing to Officer Bob is getting dirtbags off the street and locked up and I mean real dirt bags, drugs, guns, prostitution assault robbery. To them, the only real purpose in traffic enforcement is what they call heads in windows. They use traffic enforcement solely as a means to get their head close to people they think are dirtbags already.

Traffic safety is a dim dim last thought in any of their minds. I mean and if you look at it you can understand that. What's more important? Jim Bob pulling unsafe lane changes or the guy with a freaking 25 round clip slapped in the bottom of his freaking stolen Glock. So you get two kinds of traffic enforcement. The first is during regular patrol shifts when they see a vehicle they want to closer look at. That you're head the window dirtbag check.

The other kind is when you see them running laser or radar on the side of the road. That's done for two reasons. One proactively to get the acquired number citations to earn grants because all of that is done on overtime. The other is directed when citizen complaints get too high and they need to show the flag.

 

[NOTSMC]

No St. Mary's college police have no authority outside of campus personnel. As for why St Mary's county sheriff in the state or not doing more than occasional laser patrols and DUI runs? Looked into this and spent some time talking to cops on the largest law enforcement forum in the country years back.

What is Officer Bob want more than anything else in his life? The most important thing to Officer Bob is getting dirtbags off the street and locked up and I mean real dirt bags, drugs, guns, prostitution assault robbery. To them, the only real purpose in traffic enforcement is what they call heads in windows. They use traffic enforcement solely as a means to get their head close to people they think are dirtbags already.

Traffic safety is a dim dim last thought in any of their minds. I mean and if you look at it you can understand that. What's more important? Jim Bob pulling unsafe lane changes or the guy with a freaking 25 round clip slapped in the bottom of his freaking stolen Glock. So you get two kinds of traffic enforcement. The first is during regular patrol shifts when they see a vehicle they want to closer look at. That you're head the window dirtbag check.

The other kind is when you see them running laser or radar on the side of the road. That's done for two reasons. One proactively to get the acquired number citations to earn grants because all of that is done on overtime. The other is directed when citizen complaints get too high and they need to show the flag.

I guess that makes perfect sense and it's unfortunate for those of us that do get caught up in someone else's azziholimess. Rant over. I'd still like to shoot my idiotic, Tesla driving, twenty something neighbor who consistently passes me in St Mary's City college area at 1am.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

No St. Mary's college police have no authority outside of campus personnel. As for why St Mary's county sheriff in the state or not doing more than occasional laser patrols and DUI runs? Looked into this and spent some time talking to cops on the largest law enforcement forum in the country years back.

What is Officer Bob want more than anything else in his life? The most important thing to Officer Bob is getting dirtbags off the street and locked up and I mean real dirt bags, drugs, guns, prostitution assault robbery. To them, the only real purpose in traffic enforcement is what they call heads in windows. They use traffic enforcement solely as a means to get their head close to people they think are dirtbags already.

Traffic safety is a dim dim last thought in any of their minds. I mean and if you look at it you can understand that. What's more important? Jim Bob pulling unsafe lane changes or the guy with a freaking 25 round clip slapped in the bottom of his freaking stolen Glock. So you get two kinds of traffic enforcement. The first is during regular patrol shifts when they see a vehicle they want to closer look at. That you're head the window dirtbag check.

The other kind is when you see them running laser or radar on the side of the road. That's done for two reasons. One proactively to get the acquired number citations to earn grants because all of that is done on overtime. The other is directed when citizen complaints get too high and they need to show the flag.

They are doing a piss poor job with the dirt bags, more people die from traffic accidents every year so maybe they need to rethink a few things.

 

[glhs837]

They are doing a piss poor job with the dirt bags, more people die from traffic accidents every year so maybe they need to rethink a few things.

Until we as a society demand that law enforcement handle cell phone distraction the same as DUI. Personally, I believe that cell phones are a larger cause of crashes than DUI. I watch drivers around me like a hawk. Especially when riding and I ride a LOT.

 

[glhs837]

One reason LE doesn't want to get into phone enforcement is the he said/she said nature of those citations. I think a simple dash cam like camera mounted to the B pillar that only freezes say 45 seconds on either side of a button press would provide enough evidence that nobody could fight that in court.

 

[Kyle]

One reason LE doesn't want to get into phone enforcement is the he said/she said nature of those citations. I think a simple dash cam like camera mounted to the B pillar that only freezes say 45 seconds on either side of a button press would provide enough evidence that nobody could fight that in court.

I'd have no problem with that if the cops are froze out of theirs when in the cruisers.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've seen one of them typing on the in-car laptop while driving along side my truck.

 

[stgislander]

I'd have no problem with that if the cops are froze out of theirs when in the cruisers.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've seen one of them typing on the in-car laptop while driving along side my truck.

They receive training on how to do that safely when driving.

 

[Kyle]

 

[OccamsRazor]

But why? They do not make the intersections safer. They reduce T-bones, but they also increase rear end collisions.

You consistently reply with the "increased rear end collision" argument to which I say
There may be a short-term increase. "MAY." But we all know that once these intersections are known to everyone, red-light runners will go down dramatically which will decrease the number of accidents which is exactly what is needed. And I still say WGAF about whether it is a money making scheme?? Fines should be $500-1000 for each infraction. I don't care where the money goes! As long as people are safer then it is doing what it is supposed to do!

 

[glhs837]

You consistently reply with the "increased rear end collision" argument to which I say
There may be a short-term increase. "MAY." But we all know that once these intersections are known to everyone, red-light runners will go down dramatically which will decrease the number of accidents which is exactly what is needed. And I still say WGAF about whether it is a money making scheme?? Fines should be $500-1000 for each infraction. I don't care where the money goes! As long as people are safer then it is doing what it is supposed to do!

BS, you say?

Red Light Cams Linked to Increased Rear-End Collisions in Chicago

A new study links red light cameras to a coinciding rise in rear-end collisions, casting doubts on claims that the mounted cameras improve safety at intersections.

time.com

LA 2009 https://ww2.motorists.org/blog/la-red-light-cameras-increase-accidents/
DC 2005 https://ww2.motorists.org/issues/red-light-cameras/d-c-red-light-cameras-fail-to-reduce-accidents/
Portland 2005 https://ww2.motorists.org/issues/red-light-cameras/portland-oregon-red-light-cameras-3/

Article in a Philly paper that covers a lot of the studies.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Red-Light Cameras - National Motorists Association

Media Report: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Red-Light Cameras Philadelphia Weekly Red-Light District Rear-end collisions have increased at intersections with traffic cameras. by Gwen Shaffer The red-light cameras recently installed at three intersections on Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast...

ww2.motorists.org

Stats showed an increase. The Philly police echoed your thoughts..

The PPA website acknowledges that the installation of red-light cameras may “temporarily” lead to a jump in rear-end collisions.

“However, any small increase in these minor accidents returns to previous levels when drivers begin to slow down and comply with the speed limits and traffic signal phases,” the website states, adding that more “severe” accidents decline “dramatically” after red-light cameras are mounted.

However, this reporter did the homework.

The Virginia Transportation Research Council released a study in January finding that the “net effect” of red-light cameras was more injuries. While accidents caused by drivers running red lights dropped by 24 percent to 33 percent, the study concluded that rear-end crashes shot up between 50 percent and 71 percent at these same intersections.

Researchers at the North Carolina Urban Transit Institute conducted a 57-month analysis of red-light cameras, taking into consideration variables such as heavy traffic and weather.

“The results do not support the view that red-light cameras reduce crashes,” read the final report. “Instead we find that [the cameras] are associated with higher levels of many types and severity categories of crashes.”

Now, you should care where the money goes. Because if more tickets means more profits means more revenue, what's to stop the system from rigging it to get a bit more? And without proper oversight, you will never know. Trim those yellows back a second? Why not? Add "turn on red" citations? Why not? Hey, lets add "over the stop line, even a few inches, thats a violation, right?"

Every single one of the above examples happened here in MD.

Be careful what you wish for. This is another version of "Do it for the CHILDREN!!!!!" They do NOT make anyone safer. And when they start doing this to you, that's when you need to watch them even more closely.