Fatal plate reader chase covered up

As right-wing Texas lawmakers have endorsed spy cameras on the state's highways to read every license plate, a tragedy caused by such a device over a year ago in Britain is only now coming to light in America.

When it comes to command state rule, our British friends still haven't topped the standard set by the Contract With America and the Bush regime. Nonetheless, they're forced to deal with this brand of tyranny to some degree.

In Britain's Northumbria region, an automated license plate reader produced an alert about a Renault being driven by an alleged criminal. Police spotted the car and chased it at speeds of up to 94 MPH through a residential neighborhood - with no siren.

The police car smashed into an innocent 16-year-old pedestrian. The teenager died.

It later turned out that the license plate reader and database were wrong, and the driver of the Renault that was being chased was also innocent. So this disaster was all for nothing.

This tragedy should have received more coverage, but this is the first I've heard of it. It illustrates the dangers of the program Texas legislators support - and of treating automated readers as perfect.

There have been countless instances in America of the wrong cars being ticketed for disobeying traffic lights. Inevitably, this gave some kids the bright idea that they could get their teachers and classmates in trouble by making replicas of their license plates, gluing them over the plates of their own cars, and flying through red lights.

The spy state is the scam that keeps on taking.

(Source: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/27/2791.asp)