[DeTomaso] StopLight Camera License Plate Diffusers

[Michael Shortt]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Can drivers really beat Clive's red-light cameras?

Police wanted to know, so NewsChannel 8 put their system to the test.

This summer, Clive police started sending out tickets to owners of vehicles
who were caught on tape as they were running red lights.


Several companies now sell products that claim to fool the camera's flash.

But do they really work?

The products were tested under daylight and evening conditions. Even police
weren't sure what would happen. Clive police Sgt. John Brodersen has seen
hundreds, if not thousands, of images of red-light runners.

As a supervisor who reviews pictures and videos before the city sends out a
$75 ticket to the registered owner, Brodersen needs to verify the license
plate. If he can't see the plate, he can't send a ticket.

A company called PhotoBlocker claims its creations will cut down on the
likelihood of getting a ticket. The company sells two different types of
license plate covers and a patented spray.

Clive police agreed to help NewsChannel 8 test the products because they,
too, want to see if anything out there defeats their new system.

"Doing this independent test is something that I felt we still needed to do,
just for our own assurances," Brodersen said.

Three products were tested. The PhotoBlocker spray is supposed to make a
license plate so shiny that it'll prevent red-light cameras from taking good
pictures.

The reflector cover product has embedded particles that are supposed to
reflect light flashes. The PhotoShield cover product alters the appearance
of a license plate.

Police noticed that immediately.

"I could see where this could be a challenge to capture a clear image,"
Brodersen said.

To maximize safety, police drove an unmarked squad car with emergency lights
and standard Iowa license plates.

The car approached the intersection at 142nd Street and Hickman Road, and
officers blocked oncoming traffic.

The car ran the red light twice using the PhotoShield cover. Then the
reflector cover was put on the license plate.

"Looks pretty good. I would not give it a second glance," said Lt. Gary
Walker of the Clive Police Department.

Walker said he doesn't see how the reflective plate cover will make much of
a difference. But what really counts is how it performs in front of the
camera. Then it's tested.

Then the final test is the PhotoBlocker spray.

To the naked eye, the plate appears to have a shiny coating, similar to a
lacquer.

NewsChannel 8 also tested all three products at night, when the flash is
crucial to catching license plate characters and red-light runners.

Police seemed skeptical that the stuff would really work.

But the proof is in the pictures. Back in his office, Brodersen saw the
results, which were mixed.

"This one here I would say does absolutely no good," he said.

The reflected license plate cover product has embedded shiny particles
designed to reflect flashes of light. In the tests, it didn't work.

Day and night, the license plate is clearly visible. The product fails the
tests. With the PhotoBlocker spray, the camera clearly read the license
plate during the daylight test. So it was a clear failure.

But at night, it was a slightly different story. Brodersen saw that the
plate is more reflective, and he has to verify whether one character is a B
or an 8. It wouldn't be enough, though, to get this car owner out of a
ticket.

"It creates a little extra work, but it's about 15 seconds of extra work,"
Brodersen said.

So the spray failed the daytime test. Police said they think it failed the
nighttime test, too.

Lastly, the PhotoShield cover test results were reviewed. Police had a hard
time making out the plate when they saw it with their own eyes from just a
few feet away.

The red-light camera had just as much trouble.

"In this one, they would not be able to prosecute it," Brodersen said.

In both the day and night tests, the camera cannot clearly see the license
plate. This product passes.

Drivers could think it's good news that with this product, the camera can't
see license plates. Here's the bad news.

Police said because they can't see the license plate either, a driver using
the cover is asking to get pulled over.

If they catch a driver with the plate cover, even if he or she stopped at a
red light, the driver faces a $63 ticket for obstructing the license plate.

"I just don't understand why people would even go to this extreme. It's
pretty simple. Just make a complete stop, and it's safe and you don't have
the risk of a $75 citation or a $96 citation if an officer should spot you,"
Brodersen said.

If police see drivers run a red light, it is a moving violation that results
in a $96 ticket. If a camera catches drivers, it's $75 civil fine and not a
moving violation.

So far, Clive police have sent out more than 1,000 tickets.

Clive officers said they think as long as they can see the license plate,
it's OK.

A spokesman with the Iowa Attorney General's Office said lawyers in his
office think that if drivers do anything to their license plates that
prevents law enforcement or their cameras from making out the plate, it's
illegal.

PhotoBlocker claims its products are legal.