Hamilton & New Tech to Stop Speeding

[tjjeepjeep]

From wcpo.com: Guess it's better than Fairfield which is supposedly giving tickets for breathing wrong...

HAMILTON, Ohio -- One local police department is about to launch some new technology that could make you change your driving habits.

Hamilton police say they are the first in the area to get a vehicle that can enforce speed without an officer inside.

The new radar car looks like a typical SUV, but on top there's a radar. Inside there's a computer.

There are two cameras in the front and two in the back that capture video and still pictures of speeding cars.

"One will be focused on the license plate, the other will take continuous data," said Officer Rick Miller.

Miller says he never thought he'd live to see something like this.

The data automatically goes to an Arizona company called Redflex Traffic Systems that tracks the license plate of the speeding car and sends a $95 ticket to the person the car is registered to.

Hamilton police will review every citation before it's sent. An officer will not be in the vehicle as it gathers information.

"The cost of the program to the city is zero, so if it doesn't generate any revenue, that's fine," says Hamilton Police Sergeant Craig Bucheit. “If it slows people down and makes people safer, that's what's important to us.”

The car is owned by the traffic company.

The city gets 52% of all the money collected.

Hamilton Police say you have to be going at least nine miles over the speed limit to get caught by the cameras.

The police chief says the radar car will be used in school zones and around parks.

"We have complaints in a lot of those areas," says Chief Neil Ferdelman.

"We hope that we can keep a better check on crime because in this economy, this is a way for us to work smarter," the Chief says.

James and Starlene Crawford are a brother and sister who live in a home that sits within the school zone for Hamilton's Fairwood Elementary and Garfield Middle School.

They think the idea's great.

"I see them flying up and down here all day, every day," says James.

"I've seen several children almost get hit – including mine – that go to these schools," says Starlene.

If you get one of the tickets, it's not reported to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles or your insurance company.

You have a month to get used to the radar car. Only warnings will be given for the first 30 days.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story...W4NK7fQcQ.cspx