Court rules against traffic cameras; Ohio considering ban


Ohio communities with traffic cameras

Akron: Speed

Ashtabula: Red light, speed

Cleveland: Red light, speed

Columbus: Red light, speed

Dayton: Red light, speed

East: Cleveland Red light, speed

Elmwood Place: Speed

Hamilton: Speed

Middletown: Red light

New Miami: Speed

Northwood: Red light, speed

Parma: Speed

Springfield: Red light

Toledo: Red light, speed

Trotwood: Red light, speed

West Carrollton: Red light, speed

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

States that have banned speed cameras

Arkansas*, Maine*, Mississippi*, Montana*, Nevada*, New Hampshire*, New Jersey, South Carolina*, Texas, Utah, West Virginia*, Wisconsin*

*also prohibits red light cameras

Source: Governors Highway Safety Association

What do you think of proposal to ban traffic cameras in Ohio?

We asked our followers on Facebook what they think of red-light and speeding cameras. Join the converstation at Facebook.com/daytondailynews. Here’s some of the comments:

Brian Pugh: I have no problem with them. They are taking care of writing tickets and freeing up the police to do real work. Stop signs and speed limits are not a suggestion, they are the law that we all agree to live by.

Angela Coffey: The speed cameras are not above reproach. They should be banned or at least challenged.

Barry Takacss: I know when I see them I won't do business near that intersection, buy gas or go to a restaurant.

Todd Shiverdecker: I know it has caused me to drive slower. Being afraid I will forget I am driving by one has caused me to slow down in general.

Melanie Gibson: Don't break the law, and you don't have to worry.

Umar Ali You do not have to remove the cameras, simply pass a state law where the length of a yellow light may not be shorter than a certain length of time and the cameras will become unprofitable.

Twana Downey: Got a ticket running a red light. It was well deserved and I paid my fine. I'm in favor of cameras.

Dougie Imfeld: I think lawmakers who want to ban them must have begun receiving fines because of them.

Sue Borror Strickland Firman: I honestly don't see anything wrong with them. At least you don't have a cop chasing you down to be gawked at by all passing by.

The days of red light and speed cameras at Ohio intersections could be numbered.

A Hamilton County Court judge ruled Thursday that a traffic camera ordinance in a small village near Cincinnati is invalid and unenforceable. Lawmakers are also proposing a state law banning all traffic cameras in Ohio.

Only 2,188 people live in Elmwood Place, according to the 2010 census, but cameras have caught more than 20,000 drivers speeding through town since cameras were installed in September 2012. Civil citations issued for the violations have generated about $1.5 million, according to Police Chief William Peskin. Peskin said the village has kept about $900,000, with the rest going to Maryland-based Optotraffic.

In his decision, Judge Robert Ruehlman noted the lack of signage to warn motorists and that cameras are calibrated only once per year by the for-profit camera operator.

“Elmwood Place is engaged in nothing more than a high-tech game of 3-card Monty,” Ruehlman wrote. “It is a scam that motorists can’t win.”

There’s no state law on the books allowing or prohibiting cameras that detect speeding and red-light violations.

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced to prohibit the traffic cameras in Ohio. Bill sponsor Rep. Ron Maag, R-Lebanon, said sending millions out of Ohio has been a poor business decision and that money would be better spent on law enforcement and public safety.

“For $800,000, you could have two or three officers sitting there, who could protect people from all other mayhem,” Maag said.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in 2008 in favor of allowing the cameras, arguing the cameras operated as an extension of local law enforcement. But the court did not address the method of ticketing vehicle owners instead of drivers. Citations are not reported against a motorist’s driving privileges or insurance.

“To me it’s un-American — you are guilty until proven innocent vs. innocent until proven guilty,” Maag said.

Dayton collected about $2.4 million from camera citations in 2012. Dayton keeps about $55 of the $85 civil citation and sends the rest to Phoenix-based RedFlex Traffic Systems. RedFlex also operates cameras in Hamilton, Middletown, Springfield, Trotwood and West Carrollton.

Springfield issued 6,638 citations in 2012 and generated $287,784 from paid tickets. Hamilton uses speed cameras mounted on an SUV and 20,782 citations were issued between March 31, 2010 and Jan. 31, 2013, generating $958,636. In the small Butler County community of New Miami, police have given more than 9,700 violations since installing two mobile speed cameras in the village Oct. 1 and collected more than $210,000.

Middletown’s 14 red-light cameras — located at eight “high accident” intersections in the city — generated $186,580 for the city’s general fund in 2012.

A 2011 study conducted by Dayton city officials showed the number of traffic accidents dropped by a combined 23 percent compared to the year before each intersection received its camera.

“It’s not pleasant but that’s how behaviors change,” Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said. “People have said since they got them, they’ve slowed down and that’s the point.”

Biehl said the number of officers has declined nearly 20 percent since 2007 and cameras are one way to increase effectiveness of a smaller force.

“To not utilize this technology, particularly in this era of significant decline of sworn police officers, means we’re going to need to respond to more auto accidents that take our time away from more critical public safety duties.”

Maag said cameras contribute to more accidents than they prevent because drivers slam on the brakes to avoid citations, citing research collected by the National Motorists Association. The Wisconsin-based nonprofit, which also opposes seat belt laws, boasts a study claiming insurance companies support cameras because they cause crashes and, in turn, enable them to charge higher insurance premiums.

Springfield Police Sgt. Brett Bauer said the number of rear-end accidents might increase, but the cameras reduce the number of injury-producing accidents.

Staff writer Ed Richter contributed to this report.

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