Crime and Punishment

Editorial: Speeding Wants to Be Free

By Jack Baruth
August 4, 2009

"When I first started in this job thirty years ago, police work was never about revenue enhancement," Utica Police Chief Michael Reaves told the Detroit News. "But if you're a chief now, you have to look at whether your department produces revenues. That's just the reality nowadays." Nothing produces bizarre behavior quite as reliably as an inappropriate economic incentive, whether we’re talking about the infamous “Sec 179” SUV tax deduction or every Aerosmith album after, and including, “Permanent Vacation.” Is it any surprise, therefore, that most police departments have, over time, shifted their focus away from crimes that don’t pay them in favor of those that do? Murder, rape, theft, vandalism, assault---all offenses that require considerably more effort than apprehending a 44-in-a-35, and none of them containing the kind of guaranteed municipal vigorish that can be garnished from a hapless motorist.

Editorial: Speeding Wants to Be Free editorial continued »

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | 54 comments

Hammer Time: How to Cheat on the Cash-for Clunkers Program, Part One

By Steven Lang
July 7, 2009

I remember when I was 16 years old, one of my friend's dads had a near-new Toyota Celica All-Trac. It was gorgeous. The black paint was svelte and flawless. The leather pristine. It was a true work of art. Except it had one tiny little flaw on the vehicle. The VIN was not 'authentic'. It had been taken off another vehicle from 'far far away'. This was in the bad old days where odometer rollbacks (which still happen) and washed titles (ditto) were still common. Today? Well, I'll put it to you this way. Even a finance company with as many computers as NASA was screwed seven ways from Sunday by a bunch of Nigerians using an old lady's information. The clunker auditors are going to have to keep their eyes REAL open in this 'information age' to catch these snakes . . . and it won't be easy. Here's just a small slither of stealth that can happen just on the trade-in side of the equation.

Hammer Time: How to Cheat on the Cash-for Clunkers Program, Part One editorial continued »

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | 29 comments

Editorial: Unsafe at Any Speed?

By Robert Farago
May 25, 2009

I'll never forget my first ride in a BMW. I remember the excitement, anticipating a high speed run in an [echt] autobahn-tuned automobile. The driver never broke Nixon's double nickel. In fact, he stayed in the right lane for the entire trip. Flash forward to two hours ago, G-forcing through the S-curves into Providence. In the middle of the second bend, a Nissan GT-R zipped by my minivan like it was standing still. Hakuna matata. What a wonderful phrase. Hakuna matata. Ain't no passing craze. The GT-R driver was there. In the moment. In control. Safe?

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Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | Safety | 45 comments

Editorial: Maximum Street Speed Explained

By Jack Baruth
May 20, 2009

Let us begin with this: it is possible to go much faster on North American public roads than the law allows. Much faster. If you are interested in exploring the upper limits of this possibility, read on. If you find this idea morally, legally, ethically or spiritually repugnant; please return to your regularly scheduled bailout coverage. If you're a member of law enforcement, please consider this a work of fiction. In theory, I've been driving “too fast” on public roads for more than twenty years. In that time, I may have learned a lot about what works and what does not. I will share this hypothetical knowledge---bought and paid for in terror, twisted steel and sleepless nights---with you. Or not.

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Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | Safety | 113 comments

Editorial: How to Stop Illegal Street Racing Without Really Trying

By Yair Barojas
April 15, 2009

According to a recent Fox News "Special Investigation," the amount of illegal street racing is rising dramatically in Los Angeles. During the report, the segment highlighted a variety of small Japanese cars, ranging from ’98 Acura Integras to ’02 Honda Accords. (Small range, but there you go.) Some of these cars wore slicks, most had a turbo charger and all of their exhausts were in (or out of) tune. During the commercial break, viewers were treated to a trailer for "The Fast & Furious" (known internationally as "The Fast & Furious 4"). One moment Fox is lamenting the senseless loss of life caused by street racers' pursuit of automotive adrenalin, the next it promotes a senseless movie about street racers' pursuit of automotive adrenalin. Wait; it gets worse.

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Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | 58 comments

Editorial: Georgia Cities Ignoring Extended Yellow Law

By The Newspaper
March 18, 2009

Some cities are refusing to comply with a new Georgia law mandating a one-second increase in the duration of the yellow warning period at intersections equipped with red light cameras. At least seven cities that made the required timing increase in January experienced an immediate 80 percent decrease in the number of violations. Of these, Duluth, Lilburn, Norcross, Snellville and Suwanee put the brakes on their red light camera programs after the data made it clear that the programs would no longer make money. Rome is now leaning toward dropping its program as well.

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Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | 13 comments

Editorial: The Truth About Speeding Tickets and the Recession

By Casey W. Raskob
March 5, 2009

For the last 20 years or so, I've been fighting traffic tickets in the New York area. My business is not "normal." No matter how easy I make the process, no matter what the outcome, half of my final client conversations contain the words "I hope I never see you again." (It's OK, I understand. You came in with a "gun to your head.") While the client kiss-off never changes, my ticket defense work fluctuates with the level of traffic enforcement. Weather, gas prices and terrorism alerts (post 9/11) all impact the number of tickets issued. I've survived a few up and down cycles. And with a steady client base and wide professional contacts I can draw a few conclusions. The recession is here. Government budgets are under threat. The word has gone out: write tickets!

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Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | 55 comments

Busted! Redflex’s Redlight Camera Semi-Snuff Film

By Nicholas Cincinat
February 6, 2009 Redflex is the Australian company that runs many if not most of America's redlight camera programs. Although I'm not a city resident, I attended two Redflex Q&A sessions in Canton, OH over the past two nights. About 20 people attended the first meeting. Around sixty showed-up at the second-- once people caught wind of what was at stake. Both meetings included city council members, city safety director Thomas Nesbitt and Hizzoner the Mayor, William Healy. Redflex Executive Vice President Aaron Rosenberg began the meeting with the video above. The clip was shown without warning. Hello and boom: a graphic and violent accident of the type Reflex's cameras are supposed to prevent. No emotional blackmail there, then.

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Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | 32 comments

Houston Prof. Manipulated Study to Make Red Light Cameras Appear Safer

By The Newspaper
February 3, 2009

Houston Mayor Bill White selected Urban Politics Professor Robert Stein of Rice University to create a report on the engineering safety performance of the city's first fifty automated ticketing machines. (Professor Stein's wife, Marty, is employed by the city of Houston as a top aide to the mayor.) In a November 2007 email, White emphasized his personal interest in the subject at the beginning of the project. "Let's just make sure that we study things that really matter for decision-making," Mayor White wrote to Professor Stein. "Our funds for public policy research are scarce.... I am not suggesting that somebody alter one's conclusions and I am not trying to influence the conclusions. What I am trying to do is give some helpful advice from a decision-maker concerning how to avoid analytical overkill." The point was not lost on Stein whose employer received $50k for the red light camera study, who depended (depends?) on the city for funding of several other projects.

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Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | 18 comments

The Truth About the Nissan GT-R and the Nürburgring Lap Record

By James Ansell
May 21, 2008

I agree with TTAC reviewer Stephan Wilkinson : the new Nissan GT-R is the old Honda NSX. Once people actually start driving Nissan’s “everyday supercar”-- as opposed to simply jumping on the hype bandwagon and bench racing numbers supplied by Nissan-- they’ll appreciate the parallel. Although I'm still looking forward to my first hands-on experience with the GT-R, the reality of the car’s true nature and importance in automotive history is right under the fan-boys’ noses.

The Truth About the Nissan GT-R and the Nürburgring Lap Record editorial continued »

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Editorials | Sales and Marketing | 58 comments