Don't blame the red-light cameras

Re: Dennis Purdy's letter dated July 28, 'Red-light cameras all about the money.'

At first glance, a reader might think Mr. Purdy states some valid facts, but in my opinion he has not been totally honest in his letter. An avid, or even casual reader of the Hernando Today website will see that Mr. Purdy has an opinion on many subjects. If you disagree with him on the blog, be ready to be insulted. He has been exceptionally outspoken and disparaging about the red-light camera subject, and to Chief Turner.

In his letter, Mr. Purdy says he was a former police chief. People reading the letter may give some weight to that. However, Mr. Purdy didn't say that, as he has stated in his blogs, he "resigned" from the police chief position because he had uneducated police officers forced upon him by city officials. As a retired police officer, I find that difficult to believe. I ask any other law enforcement officer, or even the general public, to tell me when they heard of a police chief giving up a position of authority, a great salary, a great pension, and voluntarily leaving. And, wouldn't it be the job of the police chief to educate his "uneducated" officers? I will leave it up to you to decide what may have really happened.

Now, getting back to the subject of the red-light cameras - let's concede the point that they are just "about the money." To that I say, so what? Red-light cameras will get people thinking about them, and thinking about - get ready for this - stopping for red lights.

Some people on the blog have said it will cause more rear-end collisions, so we shouldn't have them. Cameras don't cause rear-end accidents: Drivers going too fast and following too closely do! If the cameras save just one life, they will be worth it. And, in the process, if they generate some revenue for a municipality, that's great, too. Tell me the down side to that?

The only people opposed to red-light cameras, in my opinion, are people who don't like stopping for red lights.

Now be sure to watch the letters section here or the blog on the website for Mr. Purdy's response. He will probably come back calling me, as he has already done on the website, "just an uneducated street cop."

Well, I take great pride in having served my 20-plus years on the street as a police officer. I did my best, and never resigned or was fired.

Russ Colombo

Spring Hill