Ohio Federal Judge Says Speeder Cams Constitutional

December 11, 2008

A federal judge in Akron has rejected a local attorney’s claim that automatic traffic cameras violate the Constitution.

Lawyer Warner Mendenhall filed suit after his wife got a speeding ticket in November 2005 from a portable camera placed in an Akron school zone. Mendenhall argued that the city’s system was unfair and mostly driven by a desire to raise revenue through the fines.

Akron officials say the cameras were introduced in October 2005 after a 10-year-old boy was killed in a school crosswalk by a hit-and-run driver.

In the Dec. 10 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge David Dowd said the program respects citizens’ legal rights and is not unconstitutional.

Mendenhall says he’ll appeal to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

Topics Legislation Ohio

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Latest Comments

  • December 12, 2008 at 1:44 am
    Com Mon Sens says:
    Lots of the posts on this indicate that many of us "don't get it". The judge doesn't seem to have gotten it either. The challenge wasn't on privacy grounds. Who said that ther... read more
  • December 12, 2008 at 11:27 am
    RMCSUSNRET says:
    Let me get this straight. This attorney and some of the individuals posting on this board believe that having cameras set up to catch speeders is unconstitutional? But, it is ... read more
  • December 11, 2008 at 3:03 am
    Plymn says:
    We had cameras at the stoplights to catch people running red lights in Minnesota. A judge ruled as the police could not prove who was actually driving the car, they could not ... read more

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