There's only one thing better than fighting the man, and that's watching the man fight himself. A Hamilton County, Ohio judge has ruled against an ordinance that allowed the village of Elmwood Place to install speed cameras. The town of just 2,000 people has already seen the cameras generate some $1.5 million in fines since they were installed last July, and USA Today reports Judge Robert Ruehlman believes "Elwood place is engaged in nothing more than a high-tech game of Three-card Monty," adding, "It is a scam the motorist cannot win."
Preach it, preacher man.
Ohio has 13 other jurisdictions that use speed cameras, and a total of 13 states and Washington, D.C. use them to enforce traffic laws. Elmwood Place began handing out $105 citations shortly after the cameras were installed, and local residents reacted accordingly, with many simply avoiding the village all together. Local businesses say revenues are down and lawyer Mike Allen has stepped in to represent drivers suing the village. "It is obvious that the village of Elmwood is motivated by financial considerations and not public safety," he said.
Allen's victory marks what could be the country's first specific constitutional challenge to speed cameras. That is, whether or not a driver's due-process rights are violated by getting a ticket in the mail.
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