[T]he city is asking the University of New Mexico's Institute for Social Research to study whether Albuquerque's streets have become safer in the five-plus years since cameras began snapping pictures of speeders and red light runners.We've been told repeatedly by the Chavez Administration and their Chief of Police Ray Schultz that the Scam-eras are for public safety and more importantly that they change behavior. If Albuquerque Scam-eras really changed driver behavior, wouldn't the revenue generated by the program decrease?
That's the key to the program's future, according to the mayor's office.
The revenue "is something the study will look at, but the mayor has always said the red light camera program has to be about public safety," said T.J. Wilham, Albuquerque's public safety spokesman.
During the first 18 months of the program the city's cash cameras clicked off 80,000 $100 citations (USA Today) that's roughly $5.3 MILLION a year. According to the Journal, last year the Albuquerque program took in some $8.6 MILLION despite the state's cap on fines ($75) - an increase of roughly $3.3 MILLION. The only difference between then and now is who gets the money.
If program revenues are increasing then it follows that driver behavior isn't changing at all. If drivers continue to behave as they always have, no one is safer no matter what the crash statistics are.
APD has claimed a 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in crashes at red-light camera intersections in 2006.So... to sum up. Back in 2007 Scam-eras were raking in roughly $5.3 MILLION a year and the PRC found that APD had lie... uh, exaggerated the effectiveness of the system when in fact some of the accident data indicated an increase in the number of accidents. Fast forward to 2009 when the scam bagged $8.6 MILLION (sending half to the state and half to Redflex) roughly $3.3 MILLION a year more than it did initially. Safer? Hardly.
But according to data obtained from APD by the state Public Regulation Commission, accidents near some of these intersections have actually increased.
But all of these statistics miss the most important point. The Scam-era program deprives the accused with the ability to present even the most basic defense. In other words, the accused are denied their due process rights.
The accused are not immediately notified of the alleged infraction, they are deprived of the ability to gather their own evidence, and are forced to rely on the state's evidence for their defense. In other words, guilty until proven innocent and the proof comes from the state.
In the final analysis, it doesn't matter what the UNM study says because they're looking in the wrong place. Citizens are guaranteed due process rights by the U.S. Constitution. Redflex and their partner governments including the City of Albuquerque are blatantly denying citizens of their constitutionally guaranteed rights. No study will change that fact. No study can change that fact.
25 comments:
With Marty Chavez it was never about public safety! That greedy tiny troll only wanted money!
We are all happy to see u back EYE!
I think you hit the nail on the head (eye)! I have NO confidence in UNM or anybody who does not agree with the obvious truth you have written in your article. The fact that one is guilty before proven innocent has been a practice for Governor Richardson, Marty Chavez, Ray Shultz and the MVD for some time now. They have no shame. They are not concerned about "safety" either. It's all about money in their pockets instead. Keep searching for the facts and (unfortunately) you'll find this to be true.
Lets face it the CAMERAS ARE HERE TO STAY.The city needs money and will continue to pick the citizens pocket to get it. You know the citizens they are suppose to represent. Berry wants the Police Union to for go raises promised. NO one I know would have heart-break with that after-all the people we serve are hurting. Many don't have jobs. Mayor Berry here is a flash for you. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN HOUSE FIRST. You promised that the job that darren white holds at 125thousand would not be filled. You promised ray schults, darrens best friend would be gone, 140 plus thousand. You kept ed adams not as c.a.o.but at his salary of 143 thousand. You appointed campbell c.o.a. at a salary increase at 159 thousand. You allowed lawarence torres to pull his crap and retire as a cop at 39.59 an hour. darren dont say you didnt know you knew nov.06 and there are witnesses.And lets not forget darrens other good friend his former under sherrif sal who he set up with a big fat city job. The list goes on and on this is just the highlights. So you mr. berry want the cops and city employees to take less while you and darren take care of the fat cats. BY THE WAY ARNT THEY ALL DOUBLE AND TRIPPLE DIPPERS. MUST BE NICE TO BE A GOOD OLD BOY. Mayor you better wake up and smell the roses we are not fools.
Once again you are way off on the cameras. In the first 18 months there were less cameras and they werent doing speed. Lets compare apples to apples. Are crashes down? perhaps.If you check the numbers, violations are way down that in itself makes the intersections safer. Get over it already.
Well said eye!
Berry's a POS. He lied about changing Sanctuary City, Kept Schultz brought in that scumbag Campbell and the windbag White and (because of the under the table $$$ it means to Schutlz and Redflex) will stick with the redlight scameras.
We were better off with Chavez.
The cameras will stay. It's obvious Berry never learned the word change. So this year, dont believe any of the republican candidates for governor they will promise you everything and how their going to improve everything but then do nothing. Just remember what Berry promised in the election. The republicans talk and talk.
Berry is a LIAR! why should only mayors high staff get big raises and not the fire & police who have rock solid contracts?
It was reported the President of the Firefighters Union was collecting a salary illegally. I want to see Berry demand the money be paid back to the city.
This was taxpayers money that the individual was not entitled too. What is our Republican Mayor made of? Let's see what kind of backbone is at city hall.
UNM has a conflict of interest and should not conduct the study. UNM is a state entity and the state of NM got most of the profits from the scameras. Berry, can't you find an independent organization that will conduct this "study" even tho it is unnecessary. The red light cameras couldn't pull the city out of its current deficit, so now we know all know it's all about the money, not safety.
The red light cameras were never about safety. It was a way of generating revenue just like the cell phone ban. There were laws on the books to prevent people from driving with cell phones they didn’t have to make new ones. It’s all about lining their silver coffers. Screw them!!!!
Besides Ray Darnell at Cultural Services, how many other double-dippers does Berry have on staff now?
Local news shows this morning announced that the Red Light Camera at Lomas & Eubank is snapping pictures of EVERY VEHICLE crossing that intersection whether or not they are speeding or running lights.
Sure it's about safety - ha ha
Commenter above makes a good point.
The study that will come back from UNM will be horse shit and support the continuation of the scameras forever. As a entity, they will not want to lose any revenue.
Nice try, but nobody's fooled.
RJ Berry will do what White and Campbell tell him to do. He's clueless. If they were going to get rid of the red light cameras they could have taken them down Dec. 1
The cameras are here to stay.
Congratulations to all the idiots who believed in and voted for this closet case. You've been PUNKED!
Berry seems like a nice guy but also seems to be dumber than a bag of SH*#! If he were a leader he would make the decision and remove the cameras. They were never about safety. In every meeting that was held only the amount of money generated was discussed. Ray Boy even wanted to talked people for following too closely through an intersection. The green light speed component was added when revenues fell. NOT ABOUT SAFETY ITS ABOUT SCREWING THE PUBLIC. Check and see how man redflex citations were pulled for Bowdich and Ray's family!!!!
It's simple, if you don't run red lights and don't speed then you don't have anything to worry about. Plus, you get plenty of warning with the signs and stupid rumble strips. It’s too bad the red light complainers don’t focus all of this time and energy on a real issue!
Remember "Howdy Duddy" & "Buffalo Bob"
We elected "Howdy Duddy" and Buffalo Bob" is running the city.
Wher the hell is 'Nasty Man' Nick these days?
I believe there is research that shows that shortening the yellow light time increases the revenue from these cameras, while lengthening the yellow light time decreases accidents. Does the UNM sudy mention yellow light times at all?
Oh please !!
Cameras are staying; peiod.
We were under the campaign promise - impression that they would be coming down Dec. 1
Yeh right.
....and Obama said that the health care hearings would be on CSPAN.
What a joke ! A promise from any politician is like expecting snow in hell.
Anonymous said:
It's simple, if you don't run red lights and don't speed then you don't have anything to worry about. Plus, you get plenty of warning with the signs and stupid rumble strips. It’s too bad the red light complainers don’t focus all of this time and energy on a real issue!
I say: AMEN to that!! Complainers please get over it, put down the cell phone, pay attention to the way you drive and find something fresh and new to bitch about,, this has gotten old and stale,,
It's Howdy Doody. And yes we did. I've given it some thought (too much) and one of the problems with Berry is that he is totally insulated by Ramirez and T.J. He needs to get out in front of the cameras more instead of sending out "spokespersons". He should put his face & his voice out to the public to show us that he IS concerned personally, that he DOES care about the issues that we elected him to change. Instead he relies on his media mavens.We don't want to hear it from them! We need to hear it from the source, not the bobbleheads that insulate him.
Berry, get a clue PLEASE!
Thank god that double-dipping idiot ray darnell is finally out..just did what he wanted to do never followed protocol with anything, how stupid can someone be?
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