City of Baker Photo Speed Trap

barbarossa · Mar 24, 2014

What's the deal with this? I do seem to recall reading an article in the Advocate about this a couple of months ago. Something about them doing away with these traps because the fines are unenforceable? Do I remember that right?

What happens if you don't pay?

kz45 · Mar 24, 2014

I heard they try and attack your credit if you don't pay
I could be wrong

Armed Mage · Mar 24, 2014

I got one of these in Lafayette a few months ago. From what I was told they aren't going to force you to pay the fine, but not paying it would have a serious impact on your credit rating.

Might work differently for different cities though.

Magdump · Mar 25, 2014

I stopped driving hwy 19 through baker and Zachary after my 4th $60-$100 ticket by mail in as many years. None were for excessive speeding, and 5 mph over the limit will get you a ticket from one of these. I never tried to not pay, but I took my sweet time about it. There's a court summons for the one in Baker if you don't pay by the court date. And from what I understand about municipalities, if you don't show up for court, a warrant is issued for your arrest. And if you're ever stopped in that town by a cop, guess what happens...

kcinnick · Mar 25, 2014

It is against the Louisiana constitution for a camera to give you a ticket. Cities get away with it by making them "Civil fines". There is no court, they cannot report it to your credit, the government body cannot disclose your SS number to the third party contractor that operates the cameras nor can they give it to a credit reporting agency.

The local media, conservative and liberal, repeats lies given to them by the local governments. I have NEVER seen a credit report with an unpaid ticket from a LOUISIANA traffic camera.

LS1RX7 · Mar 25, 2014

I have one from gretna in "collections". Nothing on my credit report yet. I posted a few months back with a similar question and there was no good answer so I decided to be the guinea pig. They send stuff in the mail every few days. It's grown to $500 they will never see. I think it started out 200 or so. We will see ....

Jmann · Mar 25, 2014

I received a red light fine a few years back here in BR . Called them to dispute the charge and was told I would have a letter mailed to me with a court date and I'm still looking for it every time I check the mail haven't lost any sleep over it .

jjoker16 · Mar 25, 2014

Same happened to me. I got a red light ticket (an expired yellow, not a full blown running of a red.) Anyway, I decided I was not going to pay it. After about a year of threatening letters. And going to "collections". The letters stopped. That was 4 years ago and there is nothing on my credit report about it.

My advise. Dont pay those stupid things. They are actually owned by a private company that pays the city to allow them to hang them in our streets.

It a scam and a racket and I dont participate.

deuxlatch · Mar 25, 2014

A good friend of mine is a city cop in Lafayette and he's gotten hit 14 times by the speed vans in both his cruiser and personal car and has never paid them. His explanation is the vans are venturing on illegal search and seizure by hitting you with a radar gun without probable cause and the operators are not trained to estimate speed. This falls under civil law and the police will not get involved and enforce. Police, on the other hand, are trained to estimate speed and are supposed to use the radar gun to verify speed, thus getting around that. Now the red light cameras are a different venture and if I'm not mistaken, falls under criminal law and therefore enforceable by the police. The speed van companies will try to muscle you into paying but they have no foot to stand on and can only harass you into paying. This is how I understood what he was telling me.

West · Mar 25, 2014

I didn't pay mine for two years. Then one day the city decided to run license plates down the street I work on and they impounded my car for not paying it. If any of you have ever had your car impounded they make you pay all your tickets including traffic cams. So eventually they will get you some way some how.

Judge Mental · Mar 25, 2014

I have refused to pay my red light cam "violation", no face photo, which was sent to collections by a private firm. The notices have dwindled and I haven't received one in a couple of years. Nothing was ever reported to the credit bureaus. It appears that it is just a shakedown.

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MOTOR51 · Mar 25, 2014

jjoker16 said:
Same happened to me. I got a red light ticket (an expired yellow, not a full blown running of a red.) Anyway, I decided I was not going to pay it. After about a year of threatening letters. And going to "collections". The letters stopped. That was 4 years ago and there is nothing on my credit report about it.

My advise. Dont pay those stupid things. They are actually owned by a private company that pays the city to allow them to hang them in our streets.

It a scam and a racket and I dont participate.

I have to ask, can you please explain an expired yellow? If the yellow has expired then the red light is next isn't it? Not trying to start an argument but I've heard a lot of excuses but this is the first I've heard of expired yellow.

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madwabbit · Mar 25, 2014

I have an acquaintance that collects the little letters they mail him. Swears hes never paid one and never heard a peep about it.

1911arkain · Mar 25, 2014

I just got a notice in the mail of a camera "catching" me going 27 in a school zone. No face shot, and the ticket came from Arizona. It's a camera on Canal Blvd by Harrison in Lakeview, New Orleans. Anyone know if this is a private firm or not?

Thanks in advance

alpinehyperlite · Mar 25, 2014

MOTOR51 said:
I have to ask, can you please explain an expired yellow? If the yellow has expired then the red light is next isn't it? Not trying to start an argument but I've heard a lot of excuses but this is the first I've heard of expired yellow.

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This ^

jjoker16 · Mar 25, 2014

MOTOR51 said:
I have to ask, can you please explain an expired yellow? If the yellow has expired then the red light is next isn't it? Not trying to start an argument but I've heard a lot of excuses but this is the first I've heard of expired yellow.

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

Hahahha...ok. First of all ill lead with saying. The light must have been red for the camera to nail me.

I used the term expired yellow to to paint a less ugly picture of myself. Because I cant stand red light runners. It infuriates me to no end.

I was trying to explaine that I didnt just blow through an aged red.

I was actually pulling a trailer and had that split second decision to make. Do I push through the yellow or slam on the breaks with thousands of pounds of trailer behind me.

I chose to push throuh the yellow and...well, I failed.

So I was not trying to dodge my responsibility. I was attempting to explain that I wasnt some reckless ******* blowing red lights without a care for the safty of others.

It was an expired yellow. We have all pushed our luck on em.

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alpinehyperlite · Mar 25, 2014

Still not understanding what an expired yellow is.

The cameras are designed to only photograph if the vehicle crosses the line AFTER the light has turned red. Every violation is looked at by a LEO with both video and pictures before the violation is deemed to be true.

jjoker16 · Mar 25, 2014

An expired yellow is a nice way of saying red.

It was a red light.

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alpinehyperlite · Mar 25, 2014

jjoker16 said:
An expired yellow is a nice way of saying red.

It was a red light.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Just wanted to hear you say it. Lol. Carry on.

barbarossa · Mar 25, 2014

Thanks for the replies.

What confuses me is this:

The "ticket" came from Baker Police Department, P.O. Box, Phoenix, AZ. WTF?
It is signed by a "Baker Police Officer", incl. badge number.

So, is this a ticket from a private company, or an "official" ticket from the police? Does this affect my insurance?

I grew up in Europe, I am familiar with speed traps and red light cameras. If 20 years ago somebody had told me that one day this kind of thing would exist in America, I would have laughed at their face and told them the American people would never put up with it. I was wrong.

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