Jose Escobar stands at the same intersection where police arrested him last Friday. He hopes passing drivers will remember what happened that day. He says he was warning motorists that an officer was down the road…looking for speeders.

“I was running, jogging here and the police officer was giving tickets up there and I was advising the people to slow down and then he got mad,” says Escobar.

Escobar says he was jogging back and forth at this intersection in West El Paso, giving people a heads up about a speed zone when the officer handcuffed him.

“I asked him ‘Why are you arresting me?’ And he didn’t say nothing. And I asked him to give me a ticket. And he didn’t say nothing. And just took me to jail,” says Escobar.

After five hours in the county jail, Escobar paid $66 and walked out. The formal charge- pedestrian failing to yield right of way to a vehicle. Escobar says jail time for jaywalking is pure retaliation for angering a police officer.

Passer-by, Jizette Salazar says the same officer pulled her over that day asking her about Escobar.

Now armed with a sign, he’s asking anyone who may have seen how he was treated that day to give him a call as he plans to file a formal complaint against the officer.

Police say right now these are just allegations by one man and no formal complaint has been filed.

Source: KTSM News 9

As she rode her bicycle home from a grocery store last week near downtown Houston, Natalie Plummer noticed police officers pulling over speeders. After she parked her bike and turned one of her grocery bags into a makeshift sign warning drivers about the “speed trap” ahead, an officer drove up and arrested her.

“I was completely abiding by the law,” Plummer told ABC’s affiliate KRTK. “I was simply warning citizens of a situation ahead.”

But Houston police saw it differently, and arrested Plummer for standing in the street where there a sidewalk was present, a misdemeanor charge.

Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said that officers found Plummer standing in the street, waving her arms as she held the sign.

But Plummer denied ever leaving the sidewalk on West Dallas Street, alleging that the arresting officer invented a reason to detain her.

“He couldn’t take me to jail for holding up this sign or he would have. So all he could do was make up something fake about it,” Plummer told KRTK. The officer searched Plummer’s backpack, she said, and threatened to arrest her for obstructing justice, a felony charge.

Michael Dirden, Houston’s executive assistant police chief, said in a statement that if Plummer believes the police acted inappropriately, she should file a complaint with the department’s internal affairs division.

After being held in jail for 12 hours, Plummer was released on bond, and will soon appear in court to face her misdemeanor charge.

While Plummer’s method of alerting drivers to police activity might have been unprecedented, state laws covering such warnings are decades old. Their most common form, flashing headlights, is legal in some states but illegal in others.

Laws in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Florida allow headlight flashing, while other states, such as Arizona and Alaska, forbid it. In Washington, drivers may be fined $124 for flashing their high beams within 400 feet of another vehicle for any reason. Other states forbid headlight flashing in some circumstances but not in others.

In Massachusetts, flashing car lights is not illegal, but it may result in an encounter with a police officer. If a driver says no when an officer asks whether headlights were flashed to warn drivers of a speed trap, the officer might ask if the motorist was driving with defective lights — which state law forbids.

Source: ABC News

The Rosebud Police Officer was fired for working outside city limits against orders. It’s a rule he had reportedly broken multiple times.

On Saturday, the officer reportedly tried to take down a controversial speed trap sign along Highway 77 put up by some residents to warn drivers.

The signs were first put up that Friday as way for Rosebud Signs owner Bobby Bailey to combat what he thought was a police department giving out too many tickets. Rosebud residents helped pitch in and pay for the signs.

“The city was trying to more or less turn the town into a little evil town,” Bailey said. ”We want it to be like nice little Rosebud Texas, like it’s always been.”

The officer got into a heated exchange with one of those residents who helped Bailey with the signs.

“He told me the sign was impeding traffic,” John Borden, Rosebud resident, said.

Rosebud Police Chief Kenneth Proctor confirmed the incident.

“Evidently he confronted one of the owners there, or who put the sign up, and asked him to remove the sign,” Proctor explained.

The sign was on private property and outside the city limits. Chief Proctor said the confrontation about the sign was not the reason for the firing.

The officer is planning to appeal his firing, but it will be up to the Falls County District Attorney’s office to file any criminal charges.

Chief proctor also said while he doesn’t think his city is a speed trap, and has cut down on giving out tickets, he’s in favor of the signs.

News Channel 25 talked to that fired officer Monday night on the phone, he said he was directed by a supervisor to either ticket or arrest the people responsible for the signs. He thought taking it down would cause the least problems.

More signs may be put up on Highway 53, coming from Temple into Rosebud, in order to warn more drivers. Lights also may be added to the current signs so that drivers at night can see them.

(Source: http://www.kxxv.com)

Criminal record: Michael Thompson, seen here outside Grimsby Magistrates’ Court, believed he was doing his ‘civic duty’ by alerting drivers on the opposite side of a dual carriageway

A driver has been convicted of a criminal offence for flashing his headlights at oncoming motorists to warn them of a police speed trap ahead.

Michael Thompson, 64, believed he was doing his ‘civic duty’ by alerting drivers on the opposite side of a dual carriageway.

When stopped by a police officer Thompson disagreed with the suggestion that he was ‘perverting the course of justice’ and was then allegedly told: ’I was going to let you off with a caution – but I’m not now.’

Thompson denied wilfully obstructing a policewoman in the execution of her duty on July 21 last year, but was convicted after a trial at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court.

He ended up £440 out of pocket after being fined £175, ordered to pay £250 costs and a £15 victims’ surcharge.

Thompson of Grimsby, north-east Lincolnshire, told the court he was warning motorists for safety reasons.

He said he had been involved in an accident a year ago when two drivers in front of him braked sharply after seeing a speed trap and although he braked in time another motorist crashed into the back of his vehicle.

‘It is not an offence to warn people of a possible speed trap because of the danger involved with vehicles braking quite hard,’ he claimed.

‘It’s a civic duty to warn people. I flashed my lights. I had a very good reason to warn oncoming motorists, in my opinion. My first thought was:”This may cause an accident.”

‘I tried to warn vehicles that there was a speed trap. Because I challenged the officer he would not let me off with a warning.’

Thompson was pulled up as he headed out of Grimsby on the A46 at 10am. He claimed the officer involved was a ‘Rambo character’ who was acting like ‘Judge Dredd’ in using the law unnecessarily. The officer pictured here is using a speed gun on the A130 in Essex

The stretch of road outside of Grimsby where Thompson was pulled over. He denied willfully obstructing a policewoman in the execution of her duty on July 21 last year, but was convicted after a trial and ended up £440 out of pocket.

I’ve read many, many comments from readers of the Statesman, and various online blogs. Some comments were very supportive of my “Crusade” against “Speed Traps.” Others were quite critical in their tone. ( I really HATE the moniker “crusade”, BTW.)

Questions! There were myriads of questions to be answered. Who would answer them? Well, there were lots of opinions … and, you know, we ALL have one, if you know what I mean. People on the net were voicing their opinions, basically answering questions, perhaps, on MY behalf.

These were  their opinions — most often NOT mine. I rarely post responses to forum comments, so I felt I needed to input MY two-cents-worth in my own forum, so  — Here goes…

How did this all come about?

A  friend and I were simply trying to learn how to create websites and determine what kind of site would produce the most traffic. I had recently moved to Lakeway, TX, and soon heard about the hard-handed enforcement of speed laws. Also on my mind was an “urban legend” story of a boy who held a “Speed Trap ahead” sign to warn drivers. Down the block, there was another boy holding a big jar labeled “Tips.”

The story about the boys led me to wonder whether such an act was even legal. Soon, I was on the net, researching applicable laws regarding “obstruction of justice” and other similar subjects. Come to find out, it was not only legal, but there were sections of Texas law (Sec. 38.05 (b) and 38.15 (c)) that actually decriminalized warning drivers of speed enforcement zones.

I decided to try the ” ‘Speed Trap Ahead’ warning thing.” So it began. This was how I could generate better web traffic — all just a friendly competition with my friend, blogging about issues that were on my mind while learning the basics of website generation. Phew!

Why keep at it?

I quickly learned that “speed traps” was a very popular subject. And I got lots of trafic! That was the point in the beginning, after all. Very soon, it became apparent that I had opened a BIG can of worms. My website quickly became a public information and discussion forum about all sorts of issues. I began including posts about Texas traffic laws, thus hopefully educating drivers and influencing their driving habits. I posted videos, blogged, answered emails, and read up on various subjects related to driving in general. Eventually, it became a convoluted creation of (1) a contest with my friend, and (2) a mission of learning and relaying to others the intricacies of Texas driving laws.

I’d really like to continue, but…

It’s getting late, and I have a phone interview with Houston news radio station KTRH tomorrow morning. Stay tuned for answers to more questions posed by supporters and antagonists alike. Cheers! Happy New Year!

Drive safely!

Check out the article yourself; but, I just have to elaborate on a portion the reporter mentioned.

Yes, I AM un-employed. However, I have worked continuously for the past 30+ years without EVER being without a job or EVER accepting one cent from ANY government agency. I have only been out of work since early fall, when the company I worked for cut near half of its employee base, and sent our jobs to India, Malaysia, and Ukraine. (Thanks! LibreDigital, Inc.)

It’s been nearly two years since I’ve even been out on the roads wearing my shirt. And, I haven’t even been updating my website or writing blog entries during that time due to the civil lawsuit. I DON’T just sit around doing this instead of looking for a job. In fact, the whole sign holding/t-shirt wearing thing I did in the past, was WHILE I was working nights, often 50-60 hours a week!!

Anyway… I just had to add that little bit of clarification. Everything else is, of course, open to your interpretation as you see fit. Be sure to check out the numerous and varied comments at the end of the article. 

VS.

If you recall, I was detained, arrested and issued six tickets for various city code ordinances in April of 2009. Eight months later, I went to court in defense of the tickets I received. At the conclusion of four and a half hours of testimony, I was adjudged NOT-guilty on all charges — Duh! In email exchanges between city officials (which were acquired through public information requests), even the city manager intimated that he didn’t really think the charges that were levied against me were appropriate for the circumstances. However, prosecutor Scott Taliaferro was unwavering in his resolve to take my case to the full extent possible. Who knows why these frivolous charges weren’t dropped at my first appearance. Scratch that! — I know WHY, I just wonder WHO was the main influence to push the issue.

Regardless of the whos and whys, all the criminal charges were essentially dismissed (NOT guilty). But, not before a few interesting details came out in testimony. Shortly before trial, the prosecutor spoke with my attorney, discussing with him details about what Code Enforcement officer Jeff Brown had told him. Seems as though James Debrow had told Brown to find anything he could to write me tickets for — that “This was getting personal”!! Debrow wanted to slap me with ANYthing he could, just to flex his muscle and cost me time/money — all because his little feelings were hurt?

Then, there’s the issue of “instanter”ing me before the Judge. Generally, this involves holding a detainee at the local “jail” for the municipal Judge to personally review the facts before any further disposition. There was much confusion and disagreement between testimonies of officers Debrow, Almaguer (pictured left), and Stone. Stone said that he first was just going to detain me locally at Lakeway police department, but then received information instructing him to go ahead and take me downtown to be booked, etc. Almaguer, I believe, was simply a pawn during this whole encounter, blindly doing only what he was told to do. Poor guy. He was quite frazzled as he tried to answer the attorney’s questions, most of the time stating that he was just “following orders”, and several times removing his glasses to wipe his eyes. During testimony, he stated that he understood there were “standing orders” for my arrest, and he was just doing what he was told.

At one point during testimony, Judge Kevin Madison paused to query the witness himself. [paraphrasing the following] “So you were told that the Judge was called, and that there were ‘standing orders’ to arrest the defendant? ["Yes."] Well, I am the Judge (for this jurisdiction), and I received NO such call(s) regarding this matter! Hmmmm… (shaking his head)”. So, all the talk and testimony about contacting the Judge was probably hogwash. Debrow just wanted me to go to jail!

While I was being detained at the Lakeway Police Department, Lt. Todd Radford (now Police Chief) and officer Debrow were discussing the “identification” I provided, scurrying back and forth between offices to consult law books. (See Sec. 38.02 of the Texas Penal Code). Even after they determined that I had violated no laws other than (potentially) local ordinances, they STILL went forward with the full arrest and booking, etc. Chief Radford lives a street over from me, and I occasionally see him walking his dog. A few months ago, he extended an invitation to a cup of coffee at his office. He seems to be a nice person and was, I believe, genuinely extending a hand, but… perhaps another time, under different circumstances. I WOULD, though, like to know why they proceeded with the full monty.

Mysteriously, less than two weeks after the trial, Sgt. James Debrow was gone! “Honorably Retired” is what I was told. He had only been there about two years!! Retired? Is that what they call it nowadays? And now, almost a year after the criminal trial, my civil case against the City, et. al. has come to an end. We settled out of court. But, before I say more, I feel compelled to say something:

“The parties have agreed to resolve this litigation by settlement. I believe that my case was meritorious and that at trial I would prevail. The City believes that its officers are without fault, that it has meritorious defenses, and that it would prevail at trial. The settlement has been made by the City of Lakeway and me to avoid additional legal expense and further inconvenience, and so we may buy our peace”

Actually, I didn’t have to say that. I’m only “required” to say that “When asked…”, and I haven’t been asked. I’m just blurting out stuff without being asked!!     Obviously, the intent of all this mumbo jumbo is to keep under wraps what the actual AMOUNT of the settlement is. Let’s just say that I’m having a nice Christmas!

This is just a quick update of what has transpired over the past couple of years. I’ll be updating/editing it more over the next few days. I just wanted to get the word out to those of you that have been following  this whole debacle. The website has been at a standstill since April, 2009. But, I’m now at liberty to resume my SpeedTrapAhead activities/videos/posts. All posts related to Lakeway are now back up on the site (search “Lakeway” to find all of them), and all videos are now back up on STA’s YouTube page.

Stay tuned for more!

It seems Jeff Buck has to park his car on the street outside his home in Nottingham. With no driveway or garage available, parking it on the shoulder along Watnall Road is the best he can do.

The problem stems from the fact that somebody else happened to speed past the camera perched above his parked car. Police officers who processed the photos and issued the fines somehow missed the fact that his vehicle was stationary.

Police have now issued an apology to Buck after he successfully fought the tickets. It probably wasn’t too hard to prove that his parked car wasn’t the one triggering the speed cameras. We’re guessing police will now be looking a little more closely at the other vehicles in the pictures to see who actually broke the 30 mile per hour speed limit along that road.

Although relieved to have the fines dismissed, Buck is understandably still a bit perturbed:

“I assumed the first time it happened that the police would put something in place to prevent it from happening again. I’m concerned now that every time someone triggers the camera I’ll get these notices. I am amused by it, but also angry that I have to go to the trouble of contacting the police.”

A spokeswoman for the Nottinghamshire Police said that staff members would be getting a little extra training in verifying the speed camera images properly.

Do you admit guilt, drop the payment envelope in the mail, and have it be history…or do you throw it in the trash and hope it just goes away?

Neither, exactly. And just to clear up some misconceptions, this is definitely not a case of, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

If you understood the massive stakes involved, you’d do your research, maybe hire an attorney, and even if you have a clean record do your best to have the ticket reduced or, better yet, thrown out.

The days of speeding tickets simply going away, even if they’re out-of-state, are long gone. And it’s important you do something about it because a speeding ticket can come back to haunt you for years, in ways that you probably hadn’t thought possible.

Unseen affects, budget-hemorrhaging results

Most drivers know that having speeding tickets on their record will raise their auto insurance rates, but few are aware that, depending on where they live, it can affect them in a myriad of other ways, seemingly unrelated to driving. Like when you apply to get a new life insurance policy, to insure a boat, or even to apply for a business loan.

This could mean thousands of dollars. And that’s even before considering that an unsettled ticket could find its way to your credit score to wreak further havoc.

Technically, if you’re a repeat speeder, you’re risky business, and that risk might apply to other aspects of your life—or so say the actuaries, those who arrive at the methodology that takes all those seemingly insignificant factors in your profile, weighs them with factors like your driving record, and determines whether or not you’re high risk. Simply put, whether to charge you a few hundred dollars or a couple thousand on your next insurance premium is a matter of calculated risk.

The business of risk

If you’re one to argue that speeding doesn’t necessarily place you at a higher risk, you’re not going to find much sympathy from insurance companies. As they’re in the business of risk, they raise rates because with habitual speeding comes a much greater chance of injury, property damage, or death. Excessive speed is attributed in the worst, most costly accidents. In about one third of all fatal crashes, 26 percent of injury accidents, and 15 percent of property-damage-only accidents, speed is a factor. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), more than 1,000 Americans die every month due to speed-related crashes.

“Indeed speeding does contribute to crashes,” said Anne Fleming, a spokesperson for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “People would love you to believe that speeding doesn’t cause more accidents, but it does.”

And it’s all very expensive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the economic cost of speed-related crashes adds up to more than $40 billion—each year.

Without question, there’s an unfairness at times to the way in which motorists are singled out and ticketed for minor speeding goofs. But the system that insurers use for determining rates generally allows for that, with one minor-offense freebie not raising rates. After that, a pattern emerges with multiple offenses —- that this is a habit, not an anomaly -— and premiums rise to reflect that increased risk.

In several extensive studies of U.S. and Canadian drivers, researchers have found that the risk of a crash increases almost in direct proportion to the number of speeding tickets

Today speeding, tomorrow a costly claim?

Especially when looking at a new applicant, insurers see moving violations as a predictor of what’s to come, explained Jeffrey Spring, public relations manager for the Automobile Club of Southern California. Spring added that, simply put, “speeding today is a predictor of a crash tomorrow.”

Though at first you might think of life insurance as something completely unrelated, driving is a significant factor in mortality risk for those middle age and younger. In addition to having you fill out an extensive questionnaire and gauging how healthy you are, life insurance companies might check your driving record, with your approval, at the time that you open a new policy—and potentially again if you up your coverage or make significant changes—but the chances that the life-insurance company will periodically check your record are relatively low, according to Pete Moraga, of the Insurance Information Network of California.

Dick Luedke, a spokesman for State Farm, says that two or three tickets are unlikely to have a serious impact on life insurance even if they know, but a more serious offense like driving under the influence will. It’s a matter of knowing the risk, Ludke says, and “the cost of making a promise” for insurers to cover the insured in the event of an accident or issue.

But it’s in the interest of your auto insurer to keep a close eye on your driving; don’t think that they won’t find out.

“An insurance company can check your record anytime and does not need to inform you that they are checking,” said Loretta Worters, vice president of the Insurance Information Institute (III). According to Worters, the most common times are when you initially apply, when you change coverage or your policy, or once every couple of renewal cycles. Some carriers use a method of randomly spot-checking records, so you never know when that “forgotten” ticket might influence your premiums after all.

Your credit score might also be used in part to determine your rate for various types of insurance, including auto coverage. That’s not out of line, as “credit is tremendously correlated with risk,” said AAA’s Ludke. Studies have closely linked credit-based insurance scores with the likelihood of insurance losses in auto and homeowner coverage. Credit is an “extremely powerful, objective, and accurate” predictor of insured losses,” according to the III’s Worters, who added, “Consumers with low credit scores submit more claims than those with high credit scores.”

However you can rest assured that provided you pay any fines on time your speeding tickets won’t find their way onto your credit report. Traffic violations aren’t a factor in credit, and your driving record itself isn’t consulted when calculating your score, assured a spokesman for Experian, one of the major credit-scoring companies.

California and Hawaii don’t allow personal credit ratings from factoring into auto insurance coverage, but in most other states (basically wherever it’s not explicitly restricted) it’s now common practice to run a credit check for any type of insurance.

Credit where credit is due

But don’t assume anything. Depending on what state you’re in, the insurance company might also be able to see (and use in calculating your premium)—in addition to your credit history—results of civil lawsuits, settlements, and foreclosures for a longer time than other items on your credit report. And in most states, your claims history, where you live, marital status, occupation, education, and all sorts of other factors can have an impact on your rates—or even how severe the impact might be from a ticket.

Strictly speaking, it’s usually not the end of the world if you get a minor speeding ticket on your record. But a second minor ticket is likely to rise rates about 20 percent. By the time you get to the third minor ticket, or one or two weightier offenses, your rates will skyrocket. Once you have three to four tickets or more, you’ll find yourself kicked into a so-called distributed risk pool, in which larger insurers share the risk of the worst drivers and habitual offenders—paying several times more for only basic coverage that the law requires.

Before you even think again about delaying payment on that ticket, keep in mind that the ticket alone could taint your credit score. If you simply contest a ticket and request a court appearance, a speeding ticket can be reduced (often in fine amount, sometimes in the charge). But if you ignore it completely, you’re setting yourself up for a double-whammy. If the ticket gets sent to a collection agency for nonpayment, the next time you go to apply for a new policy or change coverage you’ll not only have a lower credit score but blemishes on your driving record—the perfect storm for a big jump in your premium.

So if you get a speeding ticket, don’t throw it in the trash and try to forget about it; but don’t simply admit guilt and pay it either. Contesting the ticket at least buys you the chance to get out of it. Even if you got the ticket while driving out of state, you’ll be better off finding a local traffic attorney to take your case, especially if it’s in an adjacent state. And be willing to take a safe-driving or defensive-driving course, which might erase the ticket from your record or at the very least indicate to insurers that you’re working to reduce your risk.

A little damage control will go a long way to help cushion the impact. [source: AOL Autos]

Sebastopol, which glories in its well-deserved reputation for strict traffic enforcement, is launching a public relations program asking drivers to slow down when going through town.

Police issue more speeding tickets in Sebastopol than any other city of its size in Sonoma County. But that hasn’t stopped residents from complaining about traffic scofflaws.

“The No. 1 complaint is regarding traffic, mostly speeding cars, usually on neighborhood streets,” said police Chief Jeff Weaver. “If I was to add up all the complaints I get about thefts, drug use, gangs or violent crime, it would not equal traffic complaints.”

Since the department doesn’t have the staff to station police officers in the neighborhoods, the next best thing is to post signs asking people to drive slowly, Weaver said.

“The staffing is the same as in 1986. I still have 14 police officers. We don’t have the time to devote to traffic as we once did,” Weaver said. “If this helps fill the gap, great.”

As part of the program, expected to cost $640, signs and banners proclaiming “Slow Down Sebastopol,” with the city seal and police department shield, will be posted at the entrances to the city, on some civic buildings and in some neighborhoods.

In addition, Weaver said the city will install permanent electronic signs that read a vehicle’s speed in the eastbound lanes of Bodega Avenue in west Sebastopol, and a third portable reader will be available to put at areas where speed or collisions are a problem.

There will not be an increase in enforcement, but Sebastopol already writes more tickets than other small departments.

In 2009, the department made 7,144 traffic stops, many related to the burgeoning downtown tavern scene, compared to 6,004 in 2008, Weaver said.

Officers issued 334 speeding tickets, compared to 641 in 2008.

In comparison, in the city of Healdsburg, which has a similarly-sized department, officers made 2,982 traffic stops and wrote 45 speeding tickets in 2009.

In Cloverdale, officers made 1,933 traffic stops and wrote 67 speeding tickets in 2009.

Sebastopol has a reputation for aggressively enforcing speed limits, dating back to 1974, when the department hired an officer with traffic safety funds, Weaver said.

“For a long time, the Sebastopol police had a ruthless reputation for speed enforcement,” Weaver said. “I grew up in Santa Rosa and I knew that when you got to the Sebastopol city limits, you slowed down.”

That officer gave Weaver’s sister a speeding ticket when she was hurrying to church to play the piano, and he also gave the department’s current dispatcher a ticket, Weaver said.

“I love it,” Weaver said. “I am comfortable with the strict enforcement of the traffic laws because it saves lives.”