Is there a legal precedent for traffic camera tickets?

Question

I want to dispute a traffic ticket I received due to a photo intersection camera.

Answer 1

In Girard, Ohio, there were a ton of complaints about the intersection camera. I believe that one lawyer had it out with the Dept. of Transportation or something , he backed up a lot of people who had received tickets and could prove they hadn't been driving their car or their wasn't even running at the time.

I'd check on it on Google or something. I think that happened the beginning of this year, end of last.

Answer 2

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Mar 15, 2006 3:18 pm US/Central

Tickets For Running Red Lights May Be Void

Esme Murphy
Reporting

(WCCO) Minneapolis Tuesday, a Hennepin County judge ruled that the city cameras set up at intersections to catch red light runners are unconstitutional.

The cameras, nicknamed "photo cop", take pictures of the license plate of vehicles that run red lights. They then send out tickets to the owner of the car.

Since last May, 27,000 tickets have been issued by the red light cameras and 17,000 of those have been paid. Depending on the outcome of the case, the courts will decide whether the remaining 10,000 must be paid.

Lt. Greg Reinhardt of the Minneapolis police said, "Here we had a tool that was working. It was preventing accidents, preventing injuries, preventing vehicle crashes and we no longer have that tool to use."

Because of the judge's ruling, the cameras are not doing anything right now. That has police officers worried about drivers' safety.

According to police, the photo cop has reduced serious crashes by 20 percent

But the judge agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union that photo cop is unconstitutional.

The executive director of the ACLU, Chuck Samuelson said, "Minnesota law says the cop has to give you the ticket and the driver has to get the ticket ... not the owner of the car."

The courts are saying if a driver has gotten a photo cop ticket and hasn't paid, don't.

Some drivers who paid their photo cop tickets are trying to figure out if they are out of luck or entitled to a refund.

Legal experts are divided on that question and it seems headed for the courts.

For now photo cop is permanently off duty and police are mourning the loss of an awfully efficient colleague.

"We had one officer who wrote 26,000 tickets," Reinhardt said. "One cop wouldn't right that many tickets in his whole career."

The Minneapolis City attorney has to decide by Tuesday whether to appeal the decision.

The city of Minneapolis is hoping the program continues. With tickets at $142 a ticket, Minneapolis has made a net profit of $600,000 with the photo cop.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Answer 3

yes... just go to the city hall