Facts Of My Case

1)I was charged with having violated Vehicle Code section 21453(a) on Sunday October 21, 2001 at approximately 12:40 a.m. at the intersection of westbound Sunset and Whittier in Beverly Hills, California.

2)The prosecution was initiated by the Red Light Camera Enforcement Program.

3)The equipment which detected the alleged violation is owned by and operated at the expense of Lockheed Martin IMS.

4)An employee or employees of Lockheed Martin IMS review the photographs and refer the matter to the "issuing agency" for prosecution.

5)Lockheed Martin IMS receives $25.00 from the court for each successful prosecution under the Red Light Camera Enforcement Program.


My Problems With The Ticket

1)The fine is $271

2)The charges were filed against me by a police officer who was not present when the alleged violation happened.

3)The City of Beverly Hills uses the photo enforcement system to supplement city revenue under the guise of safety.

4)The financial incentives of a private company, which operates the system, undermines any real safety concern that my be intended.

5)The City of Beverly Hills did not comply with statutory requirements provided by the legislature in operating the photo enforcement systems.

Did I mention that the fine is $271


"There is no way to beat this. Photographs don't lie, so I must have run the red light." I don't make a habit of running red lights, I am a safe driver. I have never caused an accident and I don't believe I ran this red light but I have no way to disprove this evidence. I think most people are intimidated into paying this ticket. I believe these tickets amount to collusion between the City of Beverly Hills and Lockheed Martin to extort money from private citizens under the guise of safety.

The real problem is I have no real way to defend myself on a factual basis because I don't remember the event. If I am pulled over by a police officer at least then I can remember when the alleged violation happened and may be able to accurately remember or document the surrounding circumstances. Also then I am held to the standard of a police officers human observations and not the tenths or hundredths of a second standard of a computer. Also the police officer then has discretion to determine if a motorist deserves to get a ticket. If I was going to have to pay $271 for a violation that nobody witnessed, where someone is getting paid if I am convicted, and where no judge would believe or care about my testimony or what I may or may not remember in light of photographic evidence, I was going to make them earn it.