IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

"Warning, You Are Approaching a Radar-Controlled Speed Camera"

Camera locations provide a warning when a motorist is approaching one of the camera-equipped intersections.

Radar detectors -- outlawed in many jurisdictions -- have been upgraded in a sort of "don't get caught" social networking strategy. Red light camera locations are among files that can be downloaded from POI Factory, a GPS user group, or companies such as PhantomAlert that specialize in avoiding radar- and camera-equipped intersections or other locations. There's even an iPhone application called Trapster.

Downloaded to an iPhone or GPS device, the camera locations data provide a warning when a motorist approaches one of the camera-equipped intersections. According to a recent Washington Examiner story, Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier said using such technology was a "cowardly tactic." The article said D.C.'s, 290 cameras provided nearly $1 billion in revenue during a recent three-year period.

Wayne E. Hanson served as a writer and editor with e.Republic from 1989 to 2013, having worked for several business units including Government Technology magazine, the Center for Digital Government, Governing, and Digital Communities. Hanson was a juror from 1999 to 2004 with the Stockholm Challenge and Global Junior Challenge competitions in information technology and education.