Man ticketed for changing red lights

A Colorado man has been ticketed $50 for interfering with a traffic signal using a device called an Opticon, according to the Longmont Times-Call. Such devices can be obtained online for about $100 from auction sites like eBay. Technically, distributors of such devices are only allowed to sell them to emergency personnel such as volunteer firefighters. However, most online merchants make no effort to verify this. Jason Niccum told the newspaper that the device had "paid for itself" over two years by allowing him to get places faster. Niccum was caught March 29th when a law enforcement officer noticed the strobe-like device flashing from Niccum's car. The city of Longmont plans to upgrade its traffic lights to prevent the use of such devices in the future. The upgrade will cost the city of 70,000 people $75,000. However, many cities across North America are still susceptible to the Opticon, and upgrading all the lights in larger cities would be extremely expensive and time-consuming.