 |
||||
|
|
GUEST OPINION
Fiscal Responsibility and the Rule of Law
By
State Senator Dean Martin
Freeway dangers include: drunk drivers, tailgaters, aggressive drivers, clearing accidents, tracking amber alerts, stranded motorists, coyotes smuggling immigrants and drivers exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph. A highway patrol officer can handle all of these issues. Experimental freeway cameras can only deal with one, via mail, three weeks later. Most fatal accidents on the Scottsdale Loop101 are caused by drunk drivers, people driving the wrong way, or coming to a complete stop on the freeway, none of which a camera can catch. Why then are taxpayers expected to underwrite $22 million for experimental cameras? For the same $22 million, we could add patrol officers 24 hours a day every 500 yards on Loop101 in Scottsdale; we could double the highway patrol officers throughout the entire Valley. Shouldn’t government be spending your tax dollars where they can help most? It’s fiscally irresponsible to gamble taxpayers’ $22 million on unproven technology when officers can stop speeders, drunk drivers and more. This year, I successfully amended the budget to add $10.2 million for 28 new highway patrol officers and dedicated a dozen new officers solely for Loop101 patrols (one for every mile of Loop101 in Scottsdale). However, Governor Napolitano and her DPS director ignored the law and did not hire those additional officers! Where did this money go? (We already know not for more gasoline). We need an investigation of why laws adding more patrols on Loop101 were ignored while cameras are pushed! Contractor Redflex admits their profits are derived from the revenue from 198,000 tickets a year from the experimental cameras. Their plan depends on Loop101 speeding to continue; without speeders, Redflex cannot meet their ticket quotas! They call it a “test,” but that’s just marketing; once installed, the cameras will continuously provide easy revenue. Why would Redflex or Scottsdale end them? Currently, cities have the authority to regularly put their own patrol officers on the freeway, but Scottsdale has refused. Cities, not DPS, receive the lion’s share of revenue from speeding tickets. I sponsored legislation using revenues from Loop101 tickets to hire more patrol officers. However, this bill was vigorously opposed and defeated by city lobbyists (including Scottsdale). Do we need a Minuteman Project for Loop101 before this governor and Scottsdale will devote the proper manpower? I’ve been called a maverick, a bulldog and even a bully for fighting for more law enforcement. I believe in the rule of law, and enforcing every law (from immigration to speeding). Arizona citizens and taxpayers deserve real law enforcement on Loop101, not wasting taxpayer money for Redflex to profiteer from speeders. It’s fiscally irresponsible to gamble taxpayers’ $22 million on unproven and potentially dangerous technology (flashing strobe lights at motorists going 65 mph+) when officers can stop speeders, drunk drivers and more. Sen. Dean Martin is Chairman of the Finance Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
|
| ||
A
lack of manpower to enforce the law, corporations seeking to profiteer
from lawlessness and government turning a blind eye to
enforcement. Illegal immigration, or speeding on Loop101; is there any
difference?