On 1/4/03 10:17 PM, "Walt Cygan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I can understand why the idea of "photo cops" is appealing, yet the > degree to which it is being embraced here is startling and somewhat > disturbing.
Perhaps the degree with which the photo cop concept is being embraced should be considered to speak volumes about just how scary some of the drivers in Minneapolis really are. For those who may have missed it earlier, I'll repeat some statistics about deaths from motor vehicle accidents: In Minnesota, MVAs are the leading cause of death for folks aged 1-34. It's the second leading cause of death for folks aged 35-49 and the third leading cause of death for folks aged 50-64. If you manage to live longer than that without getting hit by a car, you probably don't have to worry about it as much since MVAs fall out of the top five leading causes of death for people aged 65 and older. So I think some of this fear people have of red-light runners and overall unsafe drivers is justified. > No, this really is a "1984"-type solution to the traffic problem. People > interested in civil liberties should really take this threat more > seriously. The alternative could be for each of us to have our own > personal "Truman Show"; lives of constant surveillance. And if this > technology can be misused; it will be misused. (Wouldn't the photos > taken be public information?) Perhaps it is a "1984"-type solution, but honestly, what is the alternative? We cannot afford to hire enough traffic cops to address the problem - does anyone really think the dozen or so that are supposed to be coming are going to make a dent? Saturday's Strib article on statewide traffic fatalities shows that education campaigns are not accomplishing much. So I would like to hear from those who oppose this idea, do you have ideas for what could feasibly be done instead? And maintaining the status quo by telling people to get over it is not a solution. I think it should be pointed out that there is also some precedent for using surveillance to combat other crimes. In the mid-90's, folks in north Minneapolis used cameras to track johns who were patronizing "Hooker's Row" in Hawthorne neighborhood. They'd take photos of license plates, track down the vehicle owner and then send letters to the address the vehicle was registered to with a copy of the photo. It worked and the prostitution levels declined. If running red lights was limited to a few intersections in Minneapolis, I'd suggest a similar campaign, but based on the discussion so far, it appears to be pretty universal, so that makes it something the city should address. As to Walt's question about whether photos would be public information, I believe the answer is yes and I would be all in favor of publicizing the results of photo cop pictures. Tie them into the CODEFOR web site. If the fines are not enough to get people's attention, maybe the bad publicity would do it. If I found somebody in my neighborhood had racked up a large number of red light tickets, I'd probably organize a picket outside their house because they're a threat to our livability and we shouldn't have to put up with that silliness. And if they move because of it, good riddance! Mark Snyder Windom Park _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
