Cameras

Your article on photo enforcement at traffic signals ("Drivers May Smile for Red Light Photos," March 25) reminded me of a conversation with a Roman driver during a recent trip to Italy. As our driver from the airport into Rome was careening into the oncoming lane of traffic, we described to him how in Los Angeles there were now cameras at intersections that snap photos of drivers as they run a red light. The driver chucked, "Oh, yes. They tried that here, too. People stole the cameras."

The Police Commission agreed this week to issue Tasers equipped with small cameras to 55 officers for a test program after supervisors concluded that the recorded scene may be helpful in case of litigation. A report by the Firearms and Tactics Section also identified training concerns. Among those were the need for officers to learn not to cover the camera when holding the Taser with two hands, and the loss of picture when officers lower the Taser after use.

Cameras will be allowed in the courtroom only during opening and closing arguments of the Kobe Bryant sexual assault trial, the judge ruled Tuesday. Concerned about potential witness intimidation, Judge Terry Ruckriegle said no cameras will be allowed in the evidence phase of the trial, which includes all testimony. Video and audio coverage will be allowed only during closing arguments and still cameras will be allowed during opening and closing arguments.

Re "I want my House TV," editorial, Dec. 16 Has C-SPAN Chief Executive Brian Lamb decided to play the old ratings game? He would like a more "complete picture" of the House floor so that the viewers could get a clearer picture of the "personality" of the members? I don't think so. Anyone with half a brain knows that the presence of a camera alters the behavior of those within range. Can we look forward to a "Dr. Phil" rendition of the business of government with cameras trying to catch every off-guard moment of our elected officials?

ONE Los Angeles theater lover managed to take in more than a dozen plays on a recent visit to New York. But this visitor, who would prefer to remain anonymous, got more drama than he bargained for at one performance. At the Bernard B.

Kobe Bryant's attorneys argued in a 19-page brief submitted Friday to keep cameras out of the courtroom next month when the basketball star goes to trial on a felony sexual assault charge. "The trial of this case will involve detailed, graphic evidence about sexual conduct and human genitalia," attorney Hal Haddon wrote. "Neither the defendant nor the complaining witness will retain a shred of dignity or privacy if these details are televised to the world."

Need a quick, soul-reviving fix of Yosemite? A webcam pointed at one of Yosemite National Park's main attractions, soaring Yosemite Falls, went live this week. It joins Yosemite cameras already in place at Half Dome and El Capitan. Find them here .  “In a lot of ways I equate it to all of the beautiful picture books that we've had on our coffee tables, or the art from the 1870s that made Yosemite exciting to people around the world when they saw it for the first time,” said Michael Tollefson, president of the nonprofit Yosemite Conservancy, which placed the cameras.

Speeding may be dangerous for drivers, but it could soon be a boon for California's fiscal health. Tucked deep into the budget that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled Friday is a plan to give cities and counties the green light to install speed sensors on red-light cameras to catch -- and ticket -- speeding cars. Those whizzing by the radar-equipped detectors at up to 15 mph over the limit would have to pay $225 per violation. Those going faster would be fined $325. Small-government advocates want to put the brakes on the plan.

It took a non-journalist to comprehend the real harm behind the judges' decision to erect a barrier to the use of cameras and tape recorders in Los Angeles County courthouses. Under a rule approved by a majority of the county's judges this week, the use of cameras and recorders would be banned except in one downtown courthouse pressroom and areas "approved by the presiding judge or district supervising judge."

The federal government wants automakers to install back-up cameras in all new vehicles starting in late 2014. The plan, announced Friday, received a strong endorsement from insurance industry and other analysts and is likely to get some level of support from car manufacturers. "There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.