Thousands of drivers receiving speed camera tickets in small Summit County village… He said he is considering challenging the ticket, but the Stow Municipal Court requires that drivers who want to appeal the ticket pay $100. [More]
These $$holes are right next door to Hudson. You have to drive through there to get to most of my favorite walking trails.
If you took a look at the “solution” vs. the scope of the problem, it would be apparent this is all about revenue generation, and anyone who blurts out “public safety” is just mealy-mouthing an excuse to cover for this being a direct violation of the whole intent of Constitutional government to “secure the Blessings of Liberty.”
They also gouge you on parking. And requiring you to pay by phone seems discriminatory against technologically impaired older people who may struggle with Jitterbugs, acknowledged to be “designed to help older adults stay in touch with their loved ones” and that they only use for phone calls.
The other thing this is is an unconstitutional prior restraint on the First Amendment proscription to “make no law … prohibiting … the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
It’s analogous to a poll tax. Or a gun permit fee.
And every bit as discriminatory.
That seems like a good opportunity for a class action lawsuit.
And if I were a “real reporter,” with the resources of a news organization behind me, I’d be going through city records to find out who got the traffic cam contract, and also doing a public records request for all communications, correspondence, phone records, work papers, calibration records, and all relevant documentation showing city official interactions with them.
Traffic cameras were so lucrative in part because the whole operation was outsourced. The robot camera took the picture. A clerk generated the tickets and mailed them out. The fines were mailed in and logged. The city got their money.
In Florida, the courts ruled the infraction didn’t happen unless it was witnessed by a sworn LEO.
The cameras are still pretty much in place but the strobes never go off.
That gravy train has been derailed at least for now.
AZ has the same law: if it wasn’t witnessed, the ticket is unenforceable. In AZ and VA, the ticket must be delivered by “personal service” or it isn’t enforceable. This includes the normal method of a cop handing it to you at the scene.
I’m positive I’ve already seen a judgment in some state striking down a traffic court pay-to-appeal fee as unconstitutional. But it was over 10 years ago and I don’t have the specifics. I’ve pinged the folks at motorists.org, whose newsletter was surely where I heard of it.
They claim they’re covered from a traffic enforcement standpoint. I believe the laws they’re relying on should be vulnerable to a civil liberties complaint.
Maybe I’ll sic the commies at the OH ACLU on ’em…:-)