Flashback:Police Seatbelt Enforcement With Night Vision Goggles

Annapolis,Maryland

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.,told Maryland State Police Superintendent Tim Hutchins to discontinue use of night vision equipment for seat belt enforcement.The governor felt there is an appropriate time and place for the use of night vision equipment. However, he did not feel that seat belt enforcement rose to that level...
Borrowed from the military, the equipment was used "only during a three-hour test in the Rockville area of Montgomery County Wednesday night and and has already been returned..."

But...

The debut of night vision goggles proved to be a "big success for police" trying to catch seat belt violators. Maryland State Police say they issued 111 tickets in a seat belt enforcement operation in Rockville. Troopers used the military tool to find people who didn't buckle up after dark.With the goggles, police say they can see inside cars at a distance, allowing them to catch violators who might otherwise go undetected. The fine for not wearing a seat belt in Maryland is 25 dollars. Police in Maryland are among 13,000 agencies nationwide that are now using the goggles.........