have you ever been pulled over by a plane? i jest..but seriously..has anyone ever been caught speeding by an airplane? i have always wondered about that.. i have never been pulled over by a cop saying that an airplane clocked me at such and such..i know i am not the record holder as far as getting tickets,but i know i get more than my fair share..
I don't think that's done anywhere in the U.S. any longer - far too expensive to operate aircraft. The signs you see to that effect were put up *decades* ago.
Yep, they have TONS of uses in law enforcement - but not used for simple speeding violations any longer.
Ah my mistake. I read the OP as getting a speeding ticket as an incidental bye-product of police aviation.
No problem. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! For speed violations, it's just FAR cheaper to use a simple patrol car and a radar gun.
Hey, Read-Only... You might want to recheck your sources on this topic, at least here in the States: As best as I could tell from the Illinois State Police website I quoted above (www.isp.state.il.us), this information is "current", excepting whatever time may have elapsed since their last site update. Also, I recently spent about a year in Virginia, a state that is [in]famous for its enforcement of speeding violations. The first day I was there (actually within the first five minutes of crossing the state line Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) I was stopped, ticketed and fined. I was friendly enough with the officer [read: he was cool enough] to actually discuss the incident in a civil fashion, so I just outright asked him "How did you detect my speed"? He replied "We use air-patrol, didn't you see the signs at the border crossing?" Naturally, I had seen the signs, there must be ten of them within the first five miles of entering the state, (complete with little cartoon-style airplanes) all conveying the idea that they are serious about speed enforcement. These signs appeared to be quite new or recently repainted or whatever, because there was no fading or discoloration - I don't know, they "just looked new", as opposed to "decades old". Naturally, in my infinite wisdom, I chose to ignore these, hence ending up with a $250.00 Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! fine. If you Google -speeding law enforcement airplanes- or something similar, you will get a significant of hits on the subject, the Illinois one that I cited just happened to be the first one on the first page that jumped out as "reputable". There plenty more to choose from though...
Thanks for the good info. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Also, given the state of the economy and governments practically going broke *today*, I doubt if many are still doing it right now. It's still cheaper (fuel, equipment, support, etc.) just to use a plain old cop in a plain old car and a radar gun. I know that if *I* was a city/county/state that's having to fire police. firefighters, etc. that the FIRST thing I'd do is ground the aircraft and sell them off. (Just the ones used for speed-checking.)
I agree with you on the waste of resources, I can think of several "better" uses for those planes (or their monetary equivalent)... As to the other, more investigation may be in order as relates to the "going broke" part. Maybe you are discounting one aspect a little much - this stuff is a profit center for the state. I am familiar with the costs related to the upkeep of small planes and the training of pilots. However, the revenue generated by numerous, (as in lots and lots Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!), of speeding tickets ranging from $200 to $1200.00, these "anti-speeding weapons systems" manage to pay their own way and then some. On a similar note, again in Virginia... I'm serious about this particular state having a really bad rep for, ermm, "manipulating" the system to earn money by "protecting" the citezens from speeders - 3 miles over the posted limit will earn you a substantial ticket! Anywho, there have been, and are, frequent allegations of small towns still engaging in "speed trap" practices. Things like having a posted limit of, say, 45 MPH until you round a sharp curve and it suddenly becomes 15 MPH, with a police officer "conveniently" located nearby. Google "Virginia speed traps" and you'll get some idea - here's a random example from a forum: "Was this by any chance in Emporia, ticket capital of Virginia? Everyone I know - including me - has gotten some sort of ticket in Emporia." Point is, I believe it possible that these airplanes and associated equipment actually turn a profit for the state/city, so from their perspective they should buy more, to the point of diminishing returns of course... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Yes. They use it in Northern Alberta (because there is little traffic, so they follow cars around in planes to get them if they speed - which is rediculous, because if there is no traffic..then who gives a fuck?). They use lines on the road and time how long it takes you to get to the next line. If you speed, they dispatch a fuckin mountie to intercept.
