At least for the last two days, there has been an unusual little trailer setup at the intersection of the Munford Drummonds, Quito Drummonds, and Richardsons Landing roads - some of you may know it as the site of Martha Millican's store in the small town of Drummonds.

It looks like a small portable generator cart, but has a tall mast (about 25 foot) and at the top of that mast is a flashing blue light. The trailer is owned and operated by the Tipton County Sherriffs Department, and a flashing light isn't all there is up there -

The trailer mounts a set of solar panels that continuously charge its batteries and presumably detect ambient light levels, because what else is up on that mast is a pair of beehive-like assemblies that contain VIDEO CAMERAS with which the county sherriffs are watching the intersection!

The purpose of this is obvious - for one thing they want to catch people who roll right through the intersection, or otherwise operate their vehicles unsafely. It is possible (I would have set it up that way) that the cameras are of a hi enough res to even see if you are wearing seatbelts or not. I can think of a host of violations that would be prosecutable with footage from these on-site cameras, and the first most people would know of it is when they got the summons(s) in the mail

This type of traffic violation evidence collection was piloted long ago in California, where cameras are permanently installed at problem intersections. The advantage here (or for some of us - the risk) is that the unit is portable, can be set up at remote locations, is self sustaining, and the video collected from it is INDEED admissable as evidence in a court of law.

~There ain't no way out of the ticket when you are right there on TV, is there?

So I thought I had better warn those of you who are down around my end of the state that it isn't just a pretty light you are seeing come up over the rise - it just might be your butt, and your new insurance rate that you are seeing!

Most people are savvy enough to spot a police car at the side of the road, but this is new and smaller, and I bet a whole lot of drivers with sloppy habits are not ready for it.


~Ciao,

Wolfie

 

Reminds me of coming down off the Colorado Rockies. There are a couple of tunnels on the route.
As I was flying down into one in my Uni with all shoe manual brakes
I see a big sign flash on and say my speed is 72 MPH and it is a 40 MPH zone.

A couple weeks later I get a pic of me in my truck in the mail with the
plate number visible
and a ticket for a $100.00 or the option to come back and see the Judge. Yes I
mailed a check. I figure I got off easy.

 

Now that you mention it, there's a blinking blue light on a light pole at the intersection of Yale and Covington Pike here in Memphis. I wonder if I'm on camera?

 

When I pass those camera's, I make sure that I am law abiding and I fling a bird at the camera. I bet that really looks strange coming from a black Crown Vic from a fellow wearing an officer's dark blue shirt.

 

The camera trailer has apparently been moved to a new site now - just an update.

Sneaky of them, isn't it?

I think it was here for about five days total.

If you look up under that blue light and see what looks like a pair of beehives underneath - you are probably about to get stung...

 

Latest on the surveillance rig:
It's still there, but the lights are out on it!

Apparently the cloud cover and the ice coating the solar cells have caused the batteries to run down, so it looks more like a popsickle than a threat at the moment

 

Wolfie, you need to make a sign that the camera can read and put it so it covers your license plate. Just tell them to screw off.

 

I don't need it yet! I'm still working up my wheels - SO:

"POOP-POOPY-DOO!!!"

Besides - I live at the end of a dead end road the cameras do not cover. So I am well aware of it before they can even pick me up.
And I know what that thing izzz....


*SNIKKKERRREZZZ*


"the wise Khojiti does not assume a Sabre Cat will be friendly - just because it is a distant relative"
~ Skyrim saying

 

Durn po-lices.....

 

Sounds like target practice to me