A woman drives with both hands on the wheel. Her phone sits face-down on her lap. No officer pulls her over. No lights flash. Weeks later, a $1,251 ticket arrives in the mail. The evidence: a single frame from a Camera surveillance app. The charge: phone use while driving.

Automated camera companies market their devices as automated license plate readers — tools for catching stolen cars, flagging warrants, and aiding serious investigations.

Sold as a Crime Tool. Used as a Fine Machine.

  • halcyoncmdr@piefed.social
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    14 hours ago

    Do you happen to live in the area the company is headquartered? Because I can’t imagine them flying a representative out for every ticket being contested.

    • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      These guys know how it works. They don’t “fly” anyone anywhere. The have low paid lackeys available in any and all of the areas they operate whose job it is specifically to hang around in courthouses and defend their tickets. It’s not like they drop everything and bundle an executive on a plane to go to Podunk, Missouri or whatever to argue about a one-off ticket.

      In my case this outfit only operates in our state, to my knowledge. They wouldn’t have to go far.