Recently in Fines Category

Have you ever seen those signs on the road that say "Red Light Photo Enforced?" Unlike the speeding camera photo enforcement I've seen, this one delivers on its' promises. Some of you may have encountered these pesky devices. When you or someone nearby approaches a red light too fast a noticeably bright flash will be apparent at night. This was one or multiple cameras taking a digital photo of your license plate, and in some cases, a quick video of the violation. Someone just got a ticket for running a red light. Looking up nearby locations, I found 4 red light cameras in Waterloo and these pesky things are becoming more common. As these devices are working 24/7 on either busy or dangerous intersections, there very few methods of getting around them. These methods decrease as your destination has fewer possible routes you can take and the installation of more of these cameras.

Since there is no officer to actually give you a moving violation, which goes on your record and affects your insurance rate, a photo enforced citation comes simply with a fine (ranging anywhere from $75 to $300). Does this actually remove dangerous drivers from the road? No, but they will have a financial impact.

To share a personal story, my hometown back in Illinois had none of these red light cameras. With less than one week from returning from my Afghanistan deployment, I encountered one of these on a road I take often around 1:15 AM that night. I was about to make a right hand turn, slowing down to observe oncoming traffic, when I saw a bright flash of light all around me. I was still a little shaken from my deployment, so I did the first thing that training has taught me... Drive out of the kill zone. I thought I was being mortared. About a month later, i got a fine of $100 with the video and photos to "prove" I ran a red-light right turn. There was a means to schedule a court date to refute charges, but if I lost, I would have to pay an additional $100. In the video they took, you could see my brake lights on, slowing to the turn, the camera flashes, and my car literally burning rubber to get out of there. I decided just to pay the fine. I find out that not only my neighborhood had these installed at almost every light, but a few other neighborhoods did the same thing. Half my unit received these fines within the first few weeks of being back. Almost everyone that tried to fight it, lost, and had to pay the court fee as well as their fine.

As many others in my town feel psychologically, these police ran cameras show how our cops aren't there to "Serve and Protect." They're just another form of tax collector not even willing to fine us themselves.

http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html/cruelty_laws.html

This is a website that is all about being an advocate for animals. There are now 41 states plus the District of Columbia that have felony charges for people who abuse animals. This website talks about the Animal Welfare Act, which is the federal law that provides regulations for shelters, pounds and places that recover stolen animals. It also shows each state and what their charges are for people who abuse and neglect their animals. There are also other places you can go to on this website that talk about de-clawing and the laws with that, as well as sterilization and shelter laws.

There are also a lot of shows on tv that deal with animal cruelty. One particular show is Animal Cops on Animal Planet. They rescue animals that have been abused or neglected and take them to the vet or to the pound where they can be adopted. The cops then arrest the people who abused the animals and give them proper punishment they deserve.