Court rulings give traffic camera foes momentum in Ohio; cities look to state's high court

3/2/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAMILTON, Ohio — The speeding cameras have gone dark in another Ohio community, after the latest in a string of court rulings against automated traffic enforcement.

A Butler County judge last week ordered the village of New Miami to hit stop, saying motorists’ due process rights were being violated. That followed a strong rebuke of speeding cameras in another village by a Hamilton County judge who called them a scam. Appellate rulings have gone against cameras in Toledo and Cleveland.

Attorney Josh Engel says the judges are taking a hard look at whether systems are aimed at safety, or raising revenue.

The Ohio Supreme Court upheld traffic cameras in a 2008 Akron case. Camera-using cities are looking to the high court for a ruling in the Toledo case to turn the recent tide back.