Posted on 09/11/2009 5:44:19 PM PDT by JoeProBono
PHOENIX (AP) -- A driver has racked up dozens of speeding tickets in photo-radar zones on Phoenix-area freeways while sporting monkey and giraffe masks, and is fighting every one by claiming the costumes make it impossible for authorities to prove he was behind the wheel.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
ping
“Graves said VonTesmar has repeatedly endangered public safety and that the agency is taking his case very seriously.
At 11-15 mph above speed limit... he really hasn’t endangered anything but officials sense of public decency... Well if he could do it, then anybody could, and we would have... Somalia!
Hilarious.
Good for him. I hope he succeeds.
Arizona began deploying the stationary and mobile cameras on state highways a year ago, and through Sept. 4 had issued more than 497,000 tickets. Of those, about 132,000 recipients had paid the fine of $165 plus a 10 percent penalty, netting the state more than $23 million. Arizona is the first to deploy such technology on highways statewide.
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Just about a 25% compliance rate in paying the fines ..
Supposedly, when Lockheed was testing the first US jet fighter during WWII, the P-59, out of Palmdale, California, they were worried about private pilots getting too inquisitive. The test pilot found a way around this. He bought a gorilla mask, a bowler hat, and a cigar. If another aircraft started to get too close to his strange, propeller-less plane, he would don the mask, hat and shove the cigar in his mouth, pull alongside and wave at the other flier.
Naturally, no civil pilot was going to say he flew next to a plane without a propeller flown by a gorilla wearing a hat and smoking a cigar.
This probably wouldn’t keep you from getting a speeding ticket either. And, by the way, the Jedi Mind Trick doesn’t work on cops and they don’t think it’s funny.
With these cameras, is the ticket levied against the registered owner of the vehicle or the driver identified in the vehicle?
The registered owner.
He won't. Under AZ law, excessive speed of less than 15MPH above the posted limit is a civil offense, not a criminal one. That means the liability is determined by a preponderance of the evidence, not reasonable doubt. And preponderance is pretty much summed up with this:
Agency spokesman Bart Graves also said authorities have surveillance photos of VonTesmar putting on masks before driving and believes that they will convince justice court judges in three area cities that he was the one behind the wheel and must pay his tickets.
Our city installed red light cameras ostensibly for traffic safety. However, the number of violations continues to escalate and reaps $80,000+ each month for the Arizona company that leases the cameras to the city. Obviously the cameras have no effect on reducing red light violations and there is every incentive for the camera company to enhance its revenues by tweaking the timing of the camera relative to the red light. There have been several unsuccessful court challenges.
A number of attorneys that handle these matters in California take the approach that the software controlling the camera is the accuser. They sub peona the software source code and when the camera folks claim that it is proprietary (so they will not reveal it) the judge may dismiss the ticket because the defendant cannot confront his accuser in court.
All this Big Brotherism is courtesy of former Guv Janet “Nappy” Napolitano, who put this crap into place and then skipped town to join the Othuggo administration
Just wait when Dogs will be able to sue. Like to see it take the stand.
(Please no jokes about swine attorneys or SOB attorneys.)
The cops say the guy is an ass...
“I’m a monkey, officer. I don’t need a driver’s license.”
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