Cedar Rapids has a new money making scam – video speed cameras. They openly claim they will send a ticket to anyone that is even 1 mile over the speed limit – all in the name of safety. MY FOOT! It’s all about money and nothing else. These types of tickets can be challenged in court as the radar can be affected by any number of things and it renders them inaccurate in many instances. Be sure to record what is or was around you and the weather conditions as the cops will and that can affect the radar readings. They also claim this to be a civil matter and not a criminal offense. This is how they propose to get away with this as by law a speeding ticket is an arrest – hence there must be probable cause for the stop and for the citation. The arresting officer must first witness the offense (probable cause to believe a crime has been committed) and then confront the suspect (make the stop) and issue the arrest warrant (ticket) and sign the affadavit. Check your constitutional laws and you’ll see. there is no officer when a camera is used so they’ll try to disguise this as being a civil matter. Are you starting to see what’s going on? This is also the basis for challenging citations issued when a cop hides and simply points a speed gun at a vehicle or makes an arrest after being notified by a helicopter pilot or by an unmarked cop car or utility vehicle sitting a mile down the road. DEMAND to confront the arresting officer at the time of the arrest (your accuser). If they fail to appear, take them to court and plead NOT GUILTY! And never ever admit to going even a single mile an hour over the speed limit or they gotcha! Now, back to Cedar Rapids. Always plead not guilty and take a ticket to court. Plug the courts up until they can’t breathe. Demand a court trial on the offense. After they set a trial date, remember you have the right to a continuance, so right before the trial date call and request a continuance. String it out as long as you can as each continuance ties up the court’s time even more, as well as the time of the officer(s). And don’t shop anywhere in or near Cedar Rapids until they stop the use of these devices. I don’t advocate that anyone speed as it is unsafe and dangerous but the cops jobs are not to arbitrarily bust everyone just to enrich the coffers of the government. Oh – and I’m not a liberal either; I’m a retired cop.