A state senator who is fighting his red light camera ticket in court has failed, again, to get those cameras banned.
One of Senator Jim Lembke’s cars was photographed by a red light camera 16 months ago running a red light. He refused to pay the fine, claiming he was not driving the car, but was convicted in municipal court. He has appealed to a circuit court and will get a trial next month.
He has tried several tacks in the legislature to make red light cameras illegal. The senate has rejected his latest efforts three more times.
Lembke charges red light cameras are money-makers for cities, not roadway safety equipment. Support comes from cape Girardau’s Jason Crowell, who refers to the camera as a “perversion” of the legal system. Crowell says his point is shown by the contingency fees that cities set up with the camera suppliers—that the suppliers get paid more if more red light tickets are issued through the cameras. He doubts any of his fellow senators would want to hire police officers on the basis of the number of drivers they stop.
But those arguments got support only from about one-third of the senate membership. The other two-thirds has rejected the arguments from Crowell and Lembke.
Listen to debate highlights approx 20 mins. mp3
