The idea behind using a helicopter could only come from a couple places. One, they had the money and wanted the helicopter. It is pure stupidity to use a helicopter for this mission due to the cost of operation.

Two, they are now going to use the excessive cost of the helicopter to justify something else such as raising fees, or the real stupidity – using UAV’s.

UAV’s are NOT ready to be used over friendly territory, as the US proved when they lost control of a million dollar plus predator over US airspace in a pilot(less) program for the border patrol.

There is a myth of money savings with these toys, but the real savings is the ass of the bureaucrat who doesn’t now have a pilot who is smarter than he is second guessing his decisions on the scene.

My first ticket @ 19 in 1997 was from one of those planes, I’m almost certain it was a Cessna older than me. 67 in a 55 that later became a 65 zone. Just taught me to slow down a little “between the lines” or have a passenger look out/up for a plane.

Ohio seems to be getting worse and worse for revenue enforcement, anecdotally.

This govt does have it’s priorities in order from it’s pint of view – that’s to raise money anyway it can… but god knows what they spend it on, probably Swiss bank accounts.

This govt is so anti-motorist, that the average person now meets the police via a penalty notice from a camera, or by a Traffic Cop who’s got targets to meet. And you wonder why the public no longer trusts a copper?

I think Alex has the right of it. UAVs would be perfect. Have a GPS/radar/high def camera system setup in the nose and you could double the size of the guv in no time.

Here in Toronto, cottage weekend traffic would just get nailed to the wall.

I was always under the impression that the English had quite the command of the English language. Shouldn’t:

“There is a perception it is sometimes easier for motorcyclists to evade detection of offences because of the speed they travel at”

read:

“There is a perception it is sometime easier for motorcyclists to evade detection of offences because of the speed at which they travel?”

It is a minor annoyance. Sorry.

Anyone who treats rush hour like an autocross course would be a prime target. Truckers who don’t understand “safe following distance” would be another.”

Yes, if only the occifers of the law (pardon me a moment while I choke laughing with that ironic statement) would actually enforce the decent and correct road rules. But they don’t seem to have ANY interest in doing so.

I’m so fed up with people here in Michigan simply driving straight out from side roads in front of me (all the while I’m testing the effectiveness of ABS and Michelin tires, as well as my adrenalin producing glands) that I’ve just dropped two HELLA Autobahn horns (complete with 12 volt relay and in-line fuse) into my Prius.

My pal’s brother came over to his shop while we were working and was busy mocking me (”what does a Prius exhaust note sound like? – ‘Immmmgaaaay’”) and “why are you bothering with real horns?” I simply responded – well, I sure don’t feel ‘gay’ when I’m busy putting $11 in the tank for a 1/4 tank of fuel (after a week of driving) instead of $50 like YOU do with your SUV and yeah, the ‘real’ horns are for me, not them.

It simply will make me ‘feel better’ to make sure they by-God hear me. If that helps me to not want to go chase them down, drag them from their cars and beat them to within an inch of their lives, all the better for them. So I guess the horns are ultimately FOR the idjit drivers on the road, really, aren’t they?

He had no answers to that.

Of course, the next day my wife and I went out in HER car and some ******* ***** ****** ************* %^&^$#%$@#( pulled out straight in front of me and made me test the ABS and Michelins again…..

I’ve got a loud low-note horn and I’m taking the Sonata to my buddy’s next chance I get…

Then c) I cringe again as the United States is rapidly deteriorating to the same “standard”, as mentioned by others.

Saw something online and it essentially was a map of the world showing where real freedom existed, freedom from being spied upon by your own government.

The US was NOT one of the free areas.

It’s only a matter of time before we’re all surveilled.

My son (26 years old) just bought me the “Prisoner” DVD set of all 17 episodes. He figured my VCR set was “too old”.

Unfortunately, it’s turning out to be a rather prophetic television series (dating from 1967-1968 – UK – though Patrick McGoohan is from NY).

Give it a few years.

http://www.opp.ca/Organization/TrafficSafety/HighwaySafetyDivision/opp_006442.html

Anyone who treats rush hour like an autocross course would be a prime target. Truckers who don’t understand “safe following distance” would be another.

Do the cops fight any crime over there in the UK or are they too busy collecting revenue from speeders. Sounds like your government needs to get its priorities in order

Oh, don’t worry, they have plenty to do: they’re getting their panties in a bunch arresting parents for taking pictures of their own kids at public playgrounds (the pictures might end up the internet, donchaknow) or shooting brown-skinned electricians.

It must be hard, what with good reason to harass poor Irish people anymore.

Speeding can be a problem, and it’s worth enforcing where it presents a safety issue (though it’s usually speeding combined with poor judgement). The problem is it’s more work for officers to cite you for being a nitwit.

On that point, a speed camera that snaps the license plate of a car is a hell of a lot cheaper than a helicopter. And you could use that helicopter (and officers in cruisers) to, you know, address real crime. But speed cameras don’t make for cushy, low-effort speed traps, nor do they make good PR.

Shhhh! Don’t give them any more ideas.

The US in in the same grips of Orwellian thinking if you hadn’t noticed – we rank right along with China, the UK, North Korea, and Russia for invasion of privacy and surveillance now, with our status listed as deteriorating. The cameras are presently breeding like rabbits/roaches (take your pick) all over the place.

The combination of wireless communication and a recent explosion in model aircraft technologies is REALLY underused.

I wonder if all this Orwellian thinking is helping your tourism, cause I sure don’t have any desire to set foot in your country, let alone spend money there.

I can’t imagine they’d actually use Apache helicopters. The picture used with this article is an old one. It’s been floating around the Internet as a joke for a long time.