Town Loses: Automated Speeding Tickets "Unjust Enrichment"

[presence]

Village ordered to repay $3M from traffic cam speeding tickets (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/village-ordered-to-repay-3-million-from-traffic-cam-speeding-tickets/)CBS News-1 hour ago

WKRC-TV reports Butler County Judge Michael Oster issued his ruling Wednesday, saying the money was unjust enrichment of New Miami.


Judge tells Ohio village to pay back $3 million in tickets (http://www.kpvi.com/news/judge-tells-ohio-village-to-pay-back-million-in-tickets/article_86105162-b004-5f93-afa9-aba32570eda0.html)
KPVI News 6-9 hours ago

[wizardwatson]

I don't think a public system is bad. But why not just force people to have the monitors in their actual cars when they are on public roads. Then Departments of Transportation can broadcast not only speed limits but weather, construction, and emergency info as well. A warning light in cars telling you, you are speeding I think would be sufficient for most people. You could give citation if repeatedly violating it, for non-emergency reasons. But yeah, stealthily giving speeding tickets for someone going say even 10 over on an empty road is hard to link to safety. There should be clear link to safety, and it should be transparent above all. I got a red light camera ticket once in the mail a week after going on a trip out of state. Very much feels like you're being ripped off.

[wizardwatson]

By the way, the system gave out 45,000 tickets over 15 months. About 100 a day, $65 a ticket average.

[Anti Federalist]

I don't think a public system is bad. But why not just force people to have the monitors in their actual cars when they are on public roads. Then Departments of Transportation can broadcast not only speed limits but weather, construction, and emergency info as well. A warning light in cars telling you, you are speeding I think would be sufficient for most people. You could give citation if repeatedly violating it, for non-emergency reasons. But yeah, stealthily giving speeding tickets for someone going say even 10 over on an empty road is hard to link to safety. There should be clear link to safety, and it should be transparent above all. I got a red light camera ticket once in the mail a week after going on a trip out of state. Very much feels like you're being ripped off.

Just what I want, Big Brother riding along with me everywhere I go.

Freedom!

[P3ter_Griffin]

http://www.journal-news.com/news/local/judge-rules-new-miami-speeders-owed-million/FbWN4jT8ZWzKc8mihqnTgI/


James Englert, New Miami’s outside counsel who has handled the case, said this was really just a first step in the almost four-year-long litigation. He said Oster’s ruling was on the remedy but there are other issues, like the due process question, that are ripe for appeal before the 12th District Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court. Other courts, both state and federal have come down on the side of municipalities and he thinks the administrative hearing process in New Miami will meet Constitutional muster on appeal.

The village’s legal bill stands at around $100,000 and Englert said he believes this has been a good and necessary expenditure of taxpayer’s money.

“It is worthwhile, it is an exercise of the police power to preserve safety within the village…,” he said. “The reason that it’s worthwhile pursuing it is the Supreme Court in Ohio in Mendenhall in 2008 found that automated traffic programs, red light and speeding camera programs are Constitutional. In 2014 the Supreme Court held that administrative hearings are Constitutional and within the power of municipalities like New Miami to use to enforce automated traffic procedures. The village thought that it was acting totally within it’s Constitutional statutory authority and it is just defending it’s ability to do that.”

Village Solicitor Dennis Adams told the Journal-News they can’t submit either the attorneys fees or final judgment to insurance, and he said they have 10 years to repay the speeders. An affidavit filed by Fiscal Officer Belinda Ricketts showed the village had $1.375 million cash in the general fund at the end of November and about $1.2 million of it was unencumbered.


The village cited 44,993 people and collected $1.8 million during the 15 months the cameras were rolling.

New Miami contracted with Optotraffic to run the speed camera program, and for that service, the Maryland traffic camera business was paid $1.2 million, or 40 percent of the total fine collection amount. So the final figure the speeders wanted to collect is $3 million. The village has maintained it is only liable for the $10,728 paid by speeders who actually went through the improper hearing process which is at the heart of the case.

[69360]

I don't think a public system is bad. But why not just force people to have the monitors in their actual cars when they are on public roads. Then Departments of Transportation can broadcast not only speed limits but weather, construction, and emergency info as well. A warning light in cars telling you, you are speeding I think would be sufficient for most people. You could give citation if repeatedly violating it, for non-emergency reasons. But yeah, stealthily giving speeding tickets for someone going say even 10 over on an empty road is hard to link to safety. There should be clear link to safety, and it should be transparent above all. I got a red light camera ticket once in the mail a week after going on a trip out of state. Very much feels like you're being ripped off.

I can't believe you posted this on RPF of all places. You are advocating for mandatory government tracking in your car? Really?

[presence]

Just what I want, Big Brother riding along with me everywhere I go.

Freedom!

Telescreens?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telescreen

[Ender]

Just what I want, Big Brother riding along with me everywhere I go.

Freedom!

Ya think? :rolleyes:

[DamianTV]

I don't think a public system is bad. But why not just force people to have the monitors in their actual cars when they are on public roads. Then Departments of Transportation can broadcast not only speed limits but weather, construction, and emergency info as well. A warning light in cars telling you, you are speeding I think would be sufficient for most people. You could give citation if repeatedly violating it, for non-emergency reasons. But yeah, stealthily giving speeding tickets for someone going say even 10 over on an empty road is hard to link to safety. There should be clear link to safety, and it should be transparent above all. I got a red light camera ticket once in the mail a week after going on a trip out of state. Very much feels like you're being ripped off.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yCZhrzwZQs

Automating government is a very bad idea. Eliminate the people from government and you have a system left that still exploits the citizens while doing absolutely nothing to benefit the communities those governments are supposed to serve in the first place.