REPORT: Billings, MT rushes to install red-light camera before new state law bans them
According to TheNewspaper.com, the city council in Billings, Montana, voted last week to hurriedly approve new automated red-light cameras – conveniently just before they are scheduled to be banned by the state legislature. With a potential clause allowing existing cameras to be grandfathered into legality still in negotiations, Billings would appear to be attempting to load up on the devices before the revenue-enhancing opportunity closes.Making the action even more suspect, TheNewspaper.com is reporting that Billings Chief of Police, Rich St. John (right), is apparently endorsing cutting the duration of the yellow warning lights during the signal changes to further raise revenue. "Changes in the yellow times after red light camera systems are in place and operational will affect the number of photographed violations, increasing the number of violations...," said St. John in a recent memo. While cutting one second from the yellow light may boost ticket income by 110 percent (according to a 2004 Texas Transportation Institute study), it may also increase crashes by up to 225 percent, according to the same study. Addressing the concern in his memo, Chief St. John seems to be content with his solution of simply proving residents with "public information announcements" alerting them to the quicker lights.
[Source: TheNewspaper]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Javanese 6:43PM (4/20/2009)
Why do I feel like punching that smiling guy in the pic?
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Quattroporte 6:48PM (4/20/2009)
Unresolved feelings about Dr. Phil.
Rob 10:14PM (4/20/2009)
I hope his daughter gets rearended by a semi and has neck problems the rest of her life.
What a prick. GEE we can make more money by decreasing the safety of others!
KARMA BITCH!
ken_aisin 1:30AM (4/21/2009)
"Why do I feel like punching that smiling guy in the pic?"
I also want to kick him right in the teeth. But I'm sure God will punish him with an accident that is caused by the shortened yellow light.
"I hope his daughter gets rearended by a semi and has neck problems the rest of her life."
Karma doesn't work like that. His daughter should not be the person who pays for her douchebag dad's poor judgement.
Noidor 4:20AM (4/21/2009)
Well crap...there goes my planned trip to Montana. Won't meet any crazy mountain people...the tragedy
Chris 11:28AM (4/21/2009)
Because you are a nice guy. This guy needs to be executed by flamethrower.....after his daughter gets in that brutal accident! LOL
Here is a guy who is going after the very people who pay his salary. I'm sure while the cops are ticketing drivers and cleaning up accidents, the increasing crimes from Billing's growing drug epidemic go unattended to.
Way to go pig!
Jake 6:44PM (4/20/2009)
Cutting the duration of the yellows when this has been demonstrated to increase the number of accidents, just so he can enhance revenue????
Why is this guy still employed? When is he and the mayor up for re-election?
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Jake 6:46PM (4/20/2009)
I might add that I can't stand red-light runners and I am in favor of nailing them, they threaten the lives of my children, but there has to be a reasonable and safe yellow light. I mean the whole purpose is public safety, not a revenue stream for the police department, right?
MikeW 7:16PM (4/20/2009)
http://www.shortyellowlights.com/standards/
Brent Schmidt 6:45PM (4/20/2009)
Don't these actually lose money? Seems like every time I hear about them here in AZ it's always about how they never actually make profit on them... and how the system is a joke at collecting the fines.
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Rich 7:36PM (4/20/2009)
That's probably more to do with the Sonora plates it's catching and the difficulty of making out faces through necessarily heavy tinting.
Elsewhere, it might be a workable contributor to the donut fund.
Vimal 4:41AM (4/21/2009)
I live in Greensboro, NC, where they have already tried these Red-light cameras about 5-7 years ago. They took them down 3-4 years ago after an increase in rear-end collisions and for the simple fact that enough money was not being made to cover the price of up keep by the private firm and give percentage to city government. Also I read somewhere, that someone was taking this court on the grounds of it being "unconstitutional" (for the lack of a better term), for a private firm to issue tickets, as it only has more revenue to gain from issuing more tickets.
Tool 6:45PM (4/20/2009)
Chief of Police, Rich St. John looks like a complete douche bag, with that sh*t eating grin. One more good reason not to visit Billings, MT.
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P.V. 6:52PM (4/20/2009)
This guy should be a candidate on the Philip DeFranco Show's "Douchebag of the Day" segment.
AMcA 10:58PM (4/20/2009)
Don't worry. This is Montana. They won't take this lying down. This assh*le is toast.
Enok 6:47PM (4/20/2009)
I hope someone sees a yellow and slams on the brakes right in front of him, while he's sipping his Dunkin'.
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Rich 7:36PM (4/20/2009)
Looks like somebody already did.
PA Castaway 6:50PM (4/20/2009)
I am fully convinced that local law enforcers don't see law-abiding citizens simply making their way from here to there when they see a car, they just see a piggy bank with a kick me sign on it.
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aribus 6:54PM (4/20/2009)
F this guy. I thought law enforcement was there to protect and serve, not screw and profit.
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Reader 7:00PM (4/20/2009)
So is the government in general. Fantastic how that works.