An older type of speed trailer, shown on Elm Street in May 2021.
Albany police are planning to buy a better type of speed-radar trailer, one that can record the license plates of vehicles it observes to be speeding.
The police department is asking the city council for permission to buy a “GMI Radar/Traffic Trailer” from a sole source without asking for bids. The purchase price is $61,350, and the federal government would reimburse the city.
The request, which does not identify the “sole source” besides saying it’s in Arizona, is on the agenda of the city council’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9.
In a memo to the council, Police Chief Marcia Harnden says the device represents “one step below photo enforcement” of speed limits. But, she says, having the device will enable the police to send warning letters to the owners of vehicles it sees breaking the speed limit.
According to her memo, the department does not currently have a traffic unit, which presumably means the police issue fewer tickets for traffic violations including speeding. It’s possible that Albany drivers have caught on, considering how fast some are going, especially on the main drags.
Getting the new radar/traffic speed trailer will help discourage speeding, according to the chief.
Albany has deployed its old speed trailer in neighborhoods from time to time. The city also posted a permanent speed radar sign on East First Avenue. The sign displays the speed of passing vehicles and flashes when they go much faster than the posted speed of 25 mph.
Flashing signs don’t seem to do much, though. Sending a warning through the mail might.
State law allows Albany and nine other cities to deploy actual photo speed enforcement, which may result in speeders getting tickets in the mail. But the radar unit can operate only for four hours at a time in any one place and only if signs are posted well ahead of the unit that photo enforcement is being used.
Once the new photo radar trailer is purchased and in place, perhaps actual enforcement with speeding tickets then will be the next step. (hh)
How about positive reinforcement; say, I’m caught on camera obeying the law which puts me (my car) in the running for a $25 gift card to a local, participating bistro?
Draw sometime during a City Council meeting, so someone other than Hasso will watch.
Don’t forget to vote by/before 11/08, 8pm. Use it or you are quite likely to lose it.
I like the idea of investing in positive reinforcement instead of a “GMI Radar/Traffic Trailer”, sole sourced from a vendor in Arizona, a place I love.
John Stuart Mill’s harm principle, “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
What is the evidence that this $61,350 power move will contribute to a more effective system that prevents harm to others?
Show us the numbers. Show us that this “investment”, as contrasted to the existing “investment”, will result in less harm to lives or property.
If she can’t show the numbers, her desire should be interpreted as nothing more than a way to raise revenue or harass Albany citizens.
If you have to tell people to slow down, you designed the street wrong.
With the poor quality of Albany’s streets, who the heck would dare speed??? Car shocks can’t take the abuse for too long. Should we buy big pickups, with oversized – illegally mounted/installed tires or maybe horse n buggies…Albany’s streets warrant the latter. At least we’ll be in compliance with asinine Green Initiatives.
https://www.cityofalbany.net/streets
We can think of a much better way to use funding!.. i rarely see a police officer now when im out and about. How many officers did we recently hire??? Are they soo busy they can not do traffic control?? Maybe think of ways to use the funds for a positive reinforcement like said above..just a side note.. if you watch the speed signs on Geary st you will see that there 2 different speeds.. maybe this needs to be re-evaluated..
They seem to have plenty of time for posting videos on social media… maybe instead they could actually do the job they were hired for?
In 1960 I took an oath before the City Recorder as a police officer. As I recall the oath it included a section that basically said I would “enforce the laws—-etc” It said nothing about enforcing only the laws I chose to or that I had to be assigned specifically to write traffic citations.
State Statute states that Traffic Laws can only be enforced by an officer who is “in Uniform and conspicuously displaying a Badge”
By her own statement the Chief of Police has said that they are fully staffed. Lets be realistic – those new hires have to be trained before they can be put on patrol. This includes attending the Police
Academy which, according to one report, is booked until April or May.
My point to this is that if an officer is out and about and sees a violation then he/she should, unless on an emergency call, take action.
Traffic enforcement does not have to mean a citation is issued! It can be an opportunity for education – VERBAL WARNING, if no prior record for the same offense, WRITTEN WARNING, if knowledge of a stop for the same offense, CITATION, for the same offense within a reasonable time.
My pet peeve is no front license plate! Just because the manufacturer did not include a convenient place to put the plate does not preclude the Statutory requirement to “Display on the Front and Rear Bumper”
I would bet that if you would be stopped if you had no rear plate but had one on the front.
Wow Richard,
Doesn’t this reek of a “revenue STREAM”?
Surely unconstitutional?
oops should have put quotes around it.
If traffic law enforcement was unconstitutional it would have been outlawed by the courts years ago.
“Revenue Stream”, I think not. A person stopped at least three times for the same violation has not displayed the responsibility given to them to drive by scoffing at the law and if it takes a hit in the billfold so be it.
ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF FOLLOWING REGULATIONS.