Governor Blagojevich has decided he can raise money by putting speed cameras along the Interstates to catch speeders. He wants to do this under the pretense of helping out Chicago with their crime problems.
In the long term, the governor is considering installing speed cameras in each direction of every interstate in the 20 State Police districts across Illinois to raise $50 million a year in revenue — enough for 500 more troopers. The money could support an “elite tactical team” and bolster everything from crash investigations to cold-case murder probes, Trent said.
Currently, camera-equipped vans nab speeders in construction zones, but state law does not allow speed cameras on interstates, Trent said.
In Arizona, 50 speed cameras will be deployed on highways by September with another 50 by January at a cost of about $20 million. The state hopes to raise $90 million a year by imposing $165 fines on vehicles going 10 mph over the speed limit or faster.
Asked what speeds Illinois motorists would have to hit before they would get nailed with a camera violation, Guerrero said, “It would have to be egregious — 80 or 85 mph. We don’t know yet.”
This is already in the process of happening in Arizona. These cameras are just one more example of the money hungry antics of Governor Blagojevich and the Illinois Legislature. It is also one more step down the road of big brother watching everything we do.Technorati Tags: Governor Blagojevich, Arizona, Interstate cameras, speed camers, Chicago gangs