[DeTomaso] Fw: StopLight Camera License Plate Diffusers

[Donny Williams]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donny Williams" <donnylee at ccwebster.net>
To: "Michael Shortt" <michaelsavga at gmail.com>; "panteras" 
<detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 12:27 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] StopLight Camera License Plate Diffusers


>I agree running reds is dangerous and those that do deserve to get the tax! 
>One of my many biggest personal fears is crossing an intersection on a 
>motorcycle on a fresh green as I know of a couple that died last year from 
>this very type of accident, and another co worker who had to lay his bike 
>down because of it, just late last year, and broke his leg up.
>
> I am good with Radar Detectors those are worthy devices against speed tax, 
> on these plate devices I plead for you to simply stop when your suppose 
> to, before you take someone out, ruin your day, and your car with or 
> without the device.  But you do not deserve to get away with it in my 
> opinion, and this is coming from a guy who does not love laws generally. 
> But Red Light laws do make sense to me.
>
> All that said those who wish to buy them, or sell them, should have that 
> right too!
>
> Donny
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael Shortt" <michaelsavga at gmail.com>
> To: "panteras" <detomaso at realbig.com>
> Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 11:11 AM
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] StopLight Camera License Plate Diffusers
>
>
>> 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.
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