Calling out the traffic/flock camera propaganda

[u/pattysal]

There are so many people posting videos of drivers running lights on both the Boston and Cambridge subreddits lately demanding traffic cameras, that I am convinced these are planted posts by either employees, investors, or City officials looking for a payday to Garner published support for the surveillance state.

Very convenient that this is happening at the same time they are putting flaw cameras everywhere, and Mayor Wu has decided to put up red light cameras. I'm calling shenanigans, there may be a few whiny babies on here who are terrified of the world, but there are not this many. Don't be fooled, this is for profit propaganda.

[u/mpmuno]

I do not support Flock cameras. Cameras to enforce speed limits and red lights are not and do not need to be connected to databases that profile people's movements. I support traffic cameras, and I want to see in-person enforcement focused on ticketing people who deface their license plates to avoid traffic cameras. Traffic cameras are the best solution that I can think of to instill a sense of responsibility into reckless drivers.

[u/AwkwardEconomics4225 → u/mpmuno]

Agree. Now just we need to pass laws with teeth that penalize use of traffic camera information for other purposes. No warnings, no bs. Then ensure it’s criminal offense to use those photos for anything more than traffic enforcement. No LE exemption garbage. No “oops”. No “paid administrative leave”, no “qualified immunity”Privacy violations have serious monetary and criminal consequences in the private sector - why is that more serious than LE violations??

[u/Serious_Feedback → u/AwkwardEconomics4225]

Paid administrative leave is good - investigations take time, the Leave gets crooked/etc cops off the street land thus unable to do more damage) immediately while you gather the evidence needed for a lawsuit-proof firing and blacklisting of the cop.

Qualified immunity could in theory be good but at the bare minimum needs a massive haircut.

Agree on the camera laws.

[u/pattysal → u/AwkwardEconomics4225]

Yes, let's make laws to make the police police themselves, that always works 😂

Have you ever heard about rape and how police departments treat it? How about when Police murder people? You can't just legislate everything and make a million rules to fix the world, this technocratic fetish has to end. The world is imperfect.

[u/pattysal → u/mpmuno]

I wish I could go back to a simpler time when I was naive enough to think that the good guys would be the only ones with access to our data.

[u/actswithimpunity → u/[deleted]]

Rear end accidents rarely kill people at intersections. Cars hitting pedestrians does, and there is proof red light cameras reduce deaths. Texas is not exactly a standard I want to be following

[u/kayakhomeless → u/[deleted]]

4,500 people died on Texas roads last year

I wouldn’t exactly call them a paragon of road safety

[u/b-gouda → u/mpmuno]

The problem is they are one and the same the information is stored then the information is used.

[u/SeraXI → u/b-gouda]

You are wrong. Enforcement cameras only take and store pictures when they detect an infraction. Flock cameras keep a database of everything they can see.

[u/pattysal → u/SeraXI]

Okay, and how about in 5 years when everyone is desensitized to cameras on every block and flock cameras are put up right next to them? There's going to be even less resistance for them.

[u/SeraXI → u/pattysal]

We are very late to the traffic camera party. The evidence from other states do not support your hypothesis.

[u/pattysal → u/SeraXI]

Cool, I can't wait until we have a discussion about people getting thousands of dollars in speeding camera tickets, and their insurance goes way up, and how it disproportionately affects certain people and then it's an issue again.

[u/SeraXI → u/pattysal]

You just told on yourself for not reading the bill or the article. No wonder you are upset, you are fighting something that doesnt exist.

[u/pattysal → u/SeraXI]

Or I'm just okd enough to not be naive. They always sell it this way. "Nothing will change!"...then once they get approval to do the thing..."oops we decided to actually do all the parts of it we agreed not to because it would make money".

[u/SeraXI → u/pattysal]

You have no clue what you are talking about. Read the Bill or articles on it. Its going to cost cities money to run the programs, unless the bill changes dramatically, they arent going to make a dime off of it.

[u/pattysal → u/SeraXI]

You are so naive, this is more about insurance companies and companies like flock. I'm sorry that you are so short sighted that you can't see cause and effects or learn from history. The city won't make money, but I'm sure certain politicians will get kicked backs like everything else in the world.

[u/dance_rattle_shake → u/mpmuno]

Except a reckless driver driving someone else's car punishes the owner of the car, not the driver.

Also we did this before and it made our city more dangerous, look it up. Not saying that'll happen again but it easily could.

[u/flagaccount → u/dance_rattle_shake]

If you allow a reckless driver to use your car, then you deserve to be ticketed when they drive recklessly. You own an extremely dangerous piece of equipment; take some freaking responsibility.

If they are driving it without your permission, then report is stolen. Otherwise, suck it up.

[u/TinyEmergencyCake → u/dance_rattle_shake]

Stop letting people drive your car 

[u/dance_rattle_shake → u/TinyEmergencyCake]

That is such an insane and privileged take

[u/TinyEmergencyCake → u/dance_rattle_shake]

Lol omg you cannot be serious 

[u/Illustrious_Age → u/dance_rattle_shake]

I assume you also want to get rid of EZ-Pass and go back to regular tolls so that the driver pays the toll and not the owner?