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http://www.nbc10.com/consumeralert/2647033/detail.html
Beating
Red
Light
Camera
With
Spray
Could
Be
Illegal
Watch
video
by
clicking
here.
Red
light
cameras
are
supposed
to
stop
motorists
from
running
the
lights.
But,
what
if
there
was
a
way
to
fool
them?
What
if
you
could
make
your
car
vanish
from
the
camera's
eye?
NBC
10's
Consumer
Alert
found
a
photo
blocker
spray
that
is
supposed
to
beat
the
camera
--
but
is
it
legal?
With
the
cooperation
of
the
police
department,
Consumer
Alert
tried
it
out
on
the
NBC
10
News
cars.
We
ran
a
red
light,
but
never
got
a
ticket.
Before
the
experiment,
we
sprayed
out
the
license
plate
with
the
photo
blocker.
The
spray
is
supposed
to
have
anti-flash
protection
that
reflects
photo-radar
flash.
Wilmington
police
said
the
whole
idea
of
the
spray
frustrates
them.
"It
promotes
criminal
behavior.
It
permits
individuals
to
run
through
red
lights,"
said
Cpl.
Steve
Martelli
of
the
Wilmington
Police.
The
man
who
sells
the
spray
over
the
Internet,
Joe
Scott,
would
not
go
on
camera,
but
said
over
the
phone
that
his
spray
isn't
meant
to
break
the
law.
It
is
meant
to
protect
motorists
from
a
system
he
says
is
stacked
against
them.
"Machines
should
not
be
out
there
enforcing
and
finding
you
guilty
without
even
going
to
court,"
Scott
said.
Scott
also
said
motorists
have
a
right
to
privacy.
But
a
privacy
advocate
disagrees.
"If
you
intend
to
racially
profile,
if
you
intend
to
catch
tax
cheats,
if
you
intend
to
use
it
in
a
divorce
case
(that's
another
story).
But
if
you're
enforcing
the
law,
it's
not
a
privacy
issue,
it's
an
issue
of
violating
the
law,"
said
John
Featherman.
In
Philadelphia,
running
red
lights
is
a
common
sight
--
especially
on
some
of
the
side
streets.
City
councilman
Frank
Rizzo
spearheaded
the
effort
to
put
red
light
cameras
in
Philadelphia.
The
city
expects
to
install
them
in
the
next
few
months.
Rizzo
knows
all
about
photo
blocker,
but
he
said
consumers
shouldn't
waste
their
money
on
it.
"During
state
inspection
there
will
be
technology
that's
part
of
the
inspection
process
that
if
you
have
photo
blocker
on
your
license
plate
you
may
not
even
drive
out
with
a
license
plate.
It
could
be
confiscated,"
Rizzo
said.
We
checked
to
see
if
the
spray
would
cancel
out
EZPass
and
the
cameras
at
Philadelphia
International
Airport.
However,
it
didn't
work
in
either
case.
EZPass
and
airport
officials
said
that
is
because
those
cameras
take
video
continuously
and
don't
use
a
flash.
The
manufacturer
said
he
didn't
intend
for
the
spray
to
be
used
to
beat
the
tolls,
because
that
is
illegal.
Pennsylvania
and
Delaware
both
have
laws
on
the
books
that
make
it
illegal
to
deface
or
obscure
a
license
plate.
The spray is designed
to be undetectable to the naked eye, so state
police said there is some question as to whether
it is illegal. Lawmakers in both states said they
are working on legislation aimed specifically
at products like these.
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