Rahm Emanuel’s plan to turn Chicago into a network of spy cameras and turn his back on motorists and taxpayers just got a major boost today from Governor Pat Quinn.

Even though the so-called “Speed Camera Retrofitting” bill was opposed by major media outlets in Chicago and 9 out of 10 Illinois residents [report], Quinn retreated from pressure by Emanuel and signed the bill into law.

The 190 red light cameras in Chicago have all been authorized to be “upgraded” to also issue photo tickets based on speed. In a city with multiple intersections that have 2.5 second yellow light times, dangerously below federal minimum standards, don’t be surprised to see speed limits lowered or changed to confuse drivers in order to drive up revenue.

The new law also allows each municipality to set whatever guidelines they choose for what constitutes a speed violation, meaning that going 46 MPH in a 45 zone could get you a $100.00 fine, depending on where you’re being video-recorded by Redflex cameras.

In addition to the upgraded combo cameras, this law also allows for new speed cameras and mobile vans to be deployed, which could quickly turn 70% of the city into a surveillance zone, according to the text of the bill.

Mayor Emanuel is calling them “safety zones,” but what’s safe about expanding the operation of a company, Redflex, best known for fraud, employees driving their vans under the influence of alcohol, child pornography, unsafe workplaces and ignoring their own citations?

Governor Pat Quinn will quickly realize his mistake, but it will probably take at least a couple years to reverse course, as it did in Arizona, if the cameras start to be installed and retrofitted.

IL Governor Pat Quinn looks up at his new master, the speed camera.

They are calling them “safety zones,” but they’ll cover near 70% of the city of Chicago according to a report by The Chicago Sun Times below.

This map outlines the consequences of a bill that just passed through both houses of Illinois legislature. If Governor Quinn signs off on this monster, the bulk of the city of Chicago will become eligible for surveillance by a profit driven, corrupt foreign corporation, Redflex Traffic Systems. This is clearly not about safety.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is using the excuse that the safety of the children of his city is at stake, but he fails to address anything about signal timing in the intersections where red light cameras currently take 24/7 video surveillance.

Unfortunately, nobody has even asked him the question, which takes Emanuel and the rest of the camera pushers off the hook. Chicago’s 2.5 second yellow lights lead to more erratic driving and accidents than any other factor, but if they were extended to a safe 4.0-4.5 seconds, the camera systems would become unprofitable.

Instead of addressing the overall signal timing issue, which could also explain accidents involving pedestrians that Emanuel keeps using as a scapegoat for creating a surveillance zone encircling his entire city.

It looks like a fairly good possibility that these “safety zones” will be coming to a Chicago neighborhood near you. The backlash will be enormous, but in the mean time, Redflex and Rahm will rake in the dough by the barrel full. 

by CameraFRAUD