Sneaky red-light camera is money grab

I read the Jan. 28 letter from Ron Hulka of Mount Prospect, and I thought ... him, too?

Around Dec. 1 of last year, I also received a fine of $100 from the village of Palatine for an “illegal” right turn from Rand Road onto Hicks Road. I wasn’t aware of what I had done — or not done — so I just paid it to keep my record clean. You can imagine my surprise to read that Hulka — and others as well — have had the bite put on them by this same “snitcher-picture-taker.”

It seems that Palatine has simply put a new coat of paint of a couple of established police tricks. One of these is the motorcycle cop who hides behind a billboard and gives chase when you pass him. The other is the speed trap: You enter Podunk Junction; the sign says “Welcome to Podunk Junction: speed limit 20” with the latter in really small print, or hidden by a bush, or both; you pass at 40 mph because you weren’t aware you had to slow down; a cop — likely the aforementioned motorcycle cop — arrests you and hauls you before the judge; the judge is some old man who hates tourists; you’re fined and/or jailed; the judge and cop slap each other on the back, laugh and go home for dinner.

If this is how Palatine raises money — and don’t say it’s “for the children” — you know very well they won’t see a dime from it — I say, take a hike, Jack!

Robert Bischoff

Vernon Hills