Officer written red-light tickets are unconstitutional according to a Florida judge. The ruling issued by a Broward County judge stated that the penalties for officer written tickets were overly harsh when compared to tickets issued automatically by red-light cameras for the exact same offense.
In Florida, the camera-issued tickets have a small fine, whereas the officer-issued tickets have a much higher fine, plus points on the driver’s license.
According to the judge, ”This violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution, as well as the Florida Constitution.”
This ruling is not binding on other traffic courts, but it will certainly be used by many a defense attorney as a (very) persuasive argument for their clients’. I expect this case to be appealed by the
Personally, I have never liked the red-light cameras. I’ve always felt they remove officer discretion, which can make a huge difference. For example, I’m a lot less likely that the automated camera to issue a ticket to a husband trying to get his pregnant wife to the hospital.
When they first started popping up, I thought the cameras may have some positive impact on decreasing fatality accidents, but I have long since determined that local government merely sees them as another revenue stream.
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Richard is the publisher of BlueSheepdog.com. In addition to writing here, he publishes GunsHolstersAndGear.com and is a regular contributor to places like Human Events, Police & Security News and The Firearm Blog.
The cameras are also great for keeping tabs on people. In Texas for example, it’s virtually impossible to travel any large distance without being on camera. 1984 is here, and it’s called 2011.
Personally, I still see them as great tools. I have far to often been sitting beside someone at a red light, while they are “OPENLY” drinking alcohol because they can’t see police around. It is literally IMPOSSIBLE for officials to be everywhere at once. No matter what the excuse is (I’m even guilty of occasionally speeding a bit), IF YOU’RE NOT BREAKING THE LAW, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. As for the husband getting his pregnant spouse to the hospital (because I’m sure this is a legitament excuse EVERY ONCE IN A WHiLE), there should be a system for disputing tickets (kinda like the usual system already in place). If an officer pulls you over he is actually slowing down your trip to the hospital anyway. The solid FACT is that there are both positive and negative effects of both ways of ticketing. I’m not a big fan of being on camera, but let’s be real, we are always on public survailence (almost every store and parking lot already have cameras rolling). Having said this, I do respect all other’s opinions.
As a private citizen, I hate Red-Light cameras. They take officers off the street. They increase move the accident from T-bones to Rear end with no decrease in the rate of accidents. And most importantly as Jsexson points out, they increase the Big Brother nature of our society. I don’t like drunk driving any more than anyone else, but I also don’t want to end up like Britain. Private cameras on Private property are very different than giving government the power of increased surveillance. It always gets abused.