What Knoxville Police say about photo blocker spray!

Can you beat the red light camera?
Photoblocker is supposed to blur out the numbers on a license plate.
Photoblocker is supposed to blur out the numbers on a license plate.

April 24, 2006

By MELISSA DiPANE
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- There are a few different ways drivers can try to avoid tickets from red light cameras.

One way to do it is with a spray called Photoblocker. It's supposed to blur out the numbers on a license plate.

It works as a reflective, when the flash from the camera hits the sheen on the plate.

6 News tested it Monday, to see if it works. The directions say to keep applying until there's a glossy sheen on your plate.

The crew did it four times. It didn't work.

But that doesn't mean the protect doesn't work at all.

In the 6 News experiment, the crew could not duplicate the exact kind of flash you get from a red light camera.

Another way to block the numbers on your plate is with a photoshield that covers the plate.

The manufacturers of both products claims they are 100 percent legal.

Despite what the company says, Knoxville police say it is not okay to use the spray or the shield to fight the camera.

"If someone applies a product to the license plate or tries to conceal the number and we're able to ID that person, they'll get a ticket for that in and of itself," says Knoxville Police Chief Sterling Owen IV.

Police say any way of changing a license plate is illegal and you could face fines if caught.