Traffic cameras are being installed at most major Intersections, by independant contractors hired by your local Governments, paid for with our tax dollars. Did you know this?
The Associated Press
A ruling by a Spokane Superior Court judge has put a dent on the city's practice of using electronic officer signatures on infractions caught by red light cameras.
Friday's ruling by Superior Court Judge Jerome Leveque overturns a previous decision by a municipal court that found no legal problem with the method used by the Spokane Police Department. Currently, an electronic signature is used by the Arizona-based private company that sends out the infractions.
"This ruling basically invalidates the whole system as of today," said attorney Dean Chuang.
City officials declined comment Friday because they had not reviewed the ruling, but will meet Monday to discuss the issue, the Spokesman-Review reported.
Chuang and his allies argued that state law requires that any signature given under the penalty of perjury must be done in the state.
Opposition to traffic cameras has recently mushroomed in the state - with mixed success. Two measures that would have curtailed the use of cameras failed in the state Legislature this past voting session. One of the bills would have required cities ask voters if they want traffic cameras.
But in Mukilteo, voters approved an initiative - with a 71 percent vote - that called for the public to vote on the installations of cameras. Eventually, the city council abolished the cameras. Similar initiatives, with assistance from initiative sponsor Tim Eyman, have been filed in other cities.
In Spokane, infractions from the eight cameras in use generate about $500,000 annually. Usually, the infractions are for people who run a red light or don't come to a full stop while making a right turn on a red light. The city plans to install four more cameras this year, boosting income to $750,000.
Recently, city officials proposed using that income to hire six more police officers.
The system requires that a police officer review images from the cameras, then decides whether an infraction has occurred. If so, the officer punches an "accept" button, which sends an electronic signal to Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions. That company then affixes that officer's signature to the ticket before mailing it to the driver.
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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com