European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A. A. A s4s dec sey some police departments in Germany Are hiding their radar and camera equipment in innocent looking opels. Speed traps an essential part of the european ambience by Dave Casey staff photographer he police love affair Zyvith radar and camera Speed traps is As much a part of Continental living As bargain Beer and overpriced Coffee. In the us in Italy and elsewhere across Western Europe those panic inducing radar controlled cameras Are. Familiar sights on City streets and superhighways. Americans learn quickly to forget looking in the rear View Mirror for police and to concentrate instead on the next overpass or wide spot in the Road. Nowhere has the Art of radar photo surveillance been refined to the event it has in Germany. Cameras Are used not Only to catch speeders but also to Nab those who run red lights or even come to a Stop too far out in an intersection. It s All so clean and orderly. First there s the sickening Flash from the camera followed a few weeks later by the mailed notice of the amount due. Recently some German agencies upped the stakes by shrinking the Bulky devices so they could fit on Ordinary looking cars. Beware that harmless looking opel at the Side of the Road May have its Eye trained on you. The Only clue is what appears to be outsize taillights. They Are actually sensing and photo devices the electronic surveillance techniques Are popular for two reasons traffic enforcement and Money. Last year in Darmstadt in the German state of Hessen police brought in 900,000 Marks about $550,000 through the use of radar cameras. Not bad for a 5,000-Mark camera of course there Are a few sundries to go along with that 150,000 Marks for the radar unit Van included and 15,000 Marks a year to process the film and the citations. A but Hannes Niebler High commissioner of the Vesseni state police Quot at Darmstadt says the income from speeding fines is incidental to the use of the cameras. A. Quot prevention is the first step in Law enforcement a punishment is the second Quot Nieter said. Quot that is Why my department publishes a monthly list of where our radar units will be in the next month. I believe it s Only fair to let motorists have the option of driving lawfully. Quot sure we could position Oun units behind Bridges where the cars would be All but invisible but we re More interested in traffic  that s an approach not always shared by Law enforcement agencies. In Germany three agencies operate traffic radar the autobahn police the various state police and the City police. And some of them Are quite willing to hide their cameras. Many of the older devices in use technically Are not radar units. They require a timer that is set up ahead of the Van. A 35mm camera houses 180 exposures of Black and White film and is mounted on a tripod behind the Van. The camera is tripped if a car passes the terminals of the timer too quickly. Several police agencies Are beginning to upgrade to the new radar units that  enclosed in in opel Omega. The radar package including the car goes for around 80,000 Marks $50,000. In Britain traffic control cameras have been in operation Only sice july 1992, according to an official with the Home office. The largest concentration of cameras is in the London area but police forces throughout England Scotland and Wales have the authority to set up the cameras in their jurisdictions. The official also said that not All cameras Are real. Some Are dummies while others Aren t operating full time. It s strictly up to each police Force on How they use the cameras. Warning notices Are posted when cameras have been placed in a certain area. Cameras that take photos of offending vehicles and record the Date and Speed of the vehicle can be found just about anywhere in Italy according to or. Piera Ron Coletta italian Legal advisor to the 401 St fighter Wing at Aviano a. She said most of the cameras Are moveable and generally hidden. Most motorists won t notice them until it is too late. Similar equipment is also being used in parts of the states soon there May be no escaping the All seeing Eye a even if you leave Europe contributing to this report Murld rth Winder in the . End j. King Cruger in Northern Kay. Sis Dave Coey chief commissioner Hannes Nieter watches sgt. Dieder Fiu install the opel s radar dome. 6&s of my sgt. Dieder Fitz Aims the  of a Street Bandit a t for those who work traffic radar equipment the task is a mix of the routine and occasional excitement. Master sgt. Dieder Fitz of the Hessen state police in Darmstadt Germany has worked with the radar patrol for the pest two years. Fitz a Veteran of 25 years likes the Job even with its rough moments. Quot quite often angry motorists will pull Over after being photographed and argue with me. They know there s nothing i can do a the film is in the camera a they re just venting their frustrations. Many times i be been called a Street Bandit Quot. Or worse. Quot i guess the strangest incident was when a Motorist stopped kicked Over the camera and kept going Quot he said. The German police Are not allowed to draw their weapons except under emergency conditions so Fitz simply made out a report and the Motorist was later traced through his License plates. Recent press reports from the . Have claimed there Are now a highly reflective Quot License plates designed to overexposed the radar camera film Fitz said done to believe it a yes you la see these plates advertised for Sale in the Back of car enthusiast magazines in Germany also but they Don t work. I guarantee it Quot he said. Another piece of folklore is the recurring report of motorists passing radar units while wearing pig masks. A yes it s True we have Drivers who have done that Quot said Hannes Niebler chief commissioner of the Hessen state police in Darmstadt. A under German Law we cannot Fine them because we must be Able to identify the Driver from the photograph. A however in Germany we also have a Law that states people must drive their vehicles in a responsible manner. Obviously driving with a mask on is not responsible driving and therefore the licensing office can revoke their driving  Dave Casey v monday March 1,1993 the stars and strikes 17l. T