We Don't Need No Stinking Radar

In a 5-1 decision, the Ohio Supreme Court has decided that if an officer is well trained enough in the estimation of a driver's speed, they can write you a ticket for speeding.

The court issued a statement on the decision that said, "a police officer's unaided visual estimation of a vehicle's speed is sufficient,” to issue a ticket.

Really? Is this fair?

The ruling came after a case where an officer stopped a driver who was allegedly going 81 miles-per-hour in a 60 mile-per-hour zone. The judge in the case dismissed the case because the police officer did not have a radar certification.

There has been some outrage over the decision in Ohio.

American Civil Liberties Union-Ohio legal director James Hardiman said, "Opening this Pandora's box will create an environment where there will be substantial abuse by law enforcement officials, not just over speeding, but for illegal searches, racial profiling and just police officers wanting to stop people for reasons legal and illegal."

There is grave worry that people will have little ability to defend themselves against speeding tickets or other alleged traffic violations and profiling will get out of control. The precedent set could also spread to influence more serious charges as well.