Arizona (speed cameras)

In 2016, a new state law required the removal of speed cameras from state-maintained roads. It didn't affect the ability of local communities to have photo enforcement on their own locally maintained streets.

See:
Arizona Capitol Times (2016)
https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/03/22/new-law-bans-fina...

Various forms of photo enforcement (including speed cameras) remain elsewhere.

See:
The Chandler Arizonan (2023)
https://www.chandlernews.com/arizonan/citynews/hobbs-kills-e...

Scottsdale is one such example:
https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/police/photo-enforcement

I seem to remember many years ago a Hyundai Sonata was recorded doing over 140 mph by a cam in AZ. Didn't know a Hyundai went that fast, back then.

Wow, it was 17 years ago, time flies. Like sands through the hourglass or meat grinder

Wonder if AZ still assesses points

https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/accused-147-mph-speed...

Here's what happened:
According to https://www.thenewspaper.com/news/14/1482.asp

A man accused of driving an impossible speed in a Hyundai Sonata by a Scottsdale, Arizona speed camera entered a plea agreement out of fear of a vindictive jail sentence. The deal announced Monday means Lawrence Pargo, 27, will spend a month in jail, pay a $1239 fine, and enter into aggressive driving counseling for the crime of being photographed at a claimed 102 MPH. Pargo would have faced three additional counts had he challenged the system in court.

Phil

I did a high school physics experiment demonstrating knife edge diffraction of microwaves. On the transmitting end I used a $1 military surplus klystron which ran at about 10 GHz IIRC. Years later police radar used the same frequency range. I used to wonder about the consequences of running one of those klystrons on my dashboard.

He paid a fine and spent a month in jail?
I wish I could figure out a way to put a stop to those ridiculous plea bargains. Working on it.

I assume it would depend on the power output.
But clearly, if you could program that so the speed camera read 1,900 mph that would be the solution.
I'd love to do that. I would park the car in view of the camera and ruin their whole day. Love it.

Or use a parabolic reflector. about 30 years ago I had an acquaintance who was an RF engineer, worked on Radar for the military at an aerospace company in Southern California.

He mentioned to me that with a technician class ham license you can legally run 1,000 watts on the same frequency the police radar is using. "It would blow the front end out of it."
Now, that was long ago and I have no idea if this is still the case. But it *is* interesting!

Must have been local roads and not limited access. Sounds like he didn't have a good lawyer or any lawyer for that matter.

Did do that, why not also go to an amazon DC or Costco and disrupt their activities?

Personally, I like red light cams, but not speed cams. Not because I love to run lights nor speed, I have total control in the former, and maybe less so in the latter. I can't know that a road in PA is 25 mph, 15 mph in NJ, yet the same road (based on look, feel, and width) is 55 mph in SoCal. But I can know 100% whether I was ahead of a line, or after it, when a light turned red.

If this parabolic reflector works, isn't it as bad as those folks who use license plate flippers to display a fake plate through a toll booth (not really a booth today, E-ZPass gantry etc.).

Or parents who cheat at the YMCA by allowing their red and orange band kids (haven't passed a swim test for deep water) swim in the 10' end of the pool. Why have any rules at all? I saw a scared kid clinging to the rope at the deep end of the lap pool on Saturday.

That depends on whether you want to face your accuser.
I am always willing to face my accuser.

I don't like getting a citation in the mail for which I have little or no recourse.

Those ticket cameras are usually run by the camera vendor on commission, and in San Diego some years ago the camera vendor was found to have lowered the yellow light time below the minimum under state law. That whole financial arrangement caused a conflict of interest. It was later made illegal under California law.

I don't like conflicts of interest anymore than I like automated traffic enforcement.

I think all that should be just made illegal. They issue tickets where an actual cop would *never* issue a ticket. If a police officer gives me a citation I know that he will come to court with me for free, and I consider that a wonderful public service. I am against the government short circuiting any of that.