by Stephen Rivers
- Phoenix mailed 7,900 camera citations in just over a month.
- Legal experts question whether every speeding fine is enforceable.
- The city logged 70,000 speeding events during a warning period.
Arizona has flip-flopped on traffic cameras several times over the years, and most recently, it’s switched cameras on. Now, after only a little over a month, the system in Phoenix has issued over 7,900 tickets. Some legal experts say that actually collecting the fees associated with those citations is a whole other beast.
Since March 25, the city has mailed more than 7,900 citations after activating enforcement cameras across 17 locations as part of its Vision Zero traffic safety initiative. Before enforcement officially began, Phoenix says the system recorded roughly 70,000 speeding events during a warning period alone.
Read: Flock Traffic Cameras Track Everything, Except The Cops Misusing Them
The cameras are intended to help reduce traffic deaths while supplementing enforcement efforts by the Phoenix Police Department. Unsurprisingly, reaction from drivers has been mixed. Some defend the cameras, others call them inaccurate, and the rest just pay the fine to avoid potential headaches later. That last strategy might not be necessary from a legal standpoint.
“The fine print says that in order for the speeding ticket to be enforceable, it has to be personally served on you, meaning that a process server, somebody who’s certified to serve the ticket, has to personally serve you, or somebody who resides at your house and of a legal age,” Josh Kolsrud, a criminal defense attorney, told 12 News.
Questions surrounding automated traffic enforcement aren’t unique to Arizona. California has spent years battling over the legality and enforceability of various camera-based traffic systems, especially red-light cameras.
Several California cities previously abandoned red-light camera programs after legal disputes over improper ticket processing, unclear signage, and concerns surrounding private contractors handling enforcement administration. In some cases, courts dismissed citations because prosecutors struggled to properly authenticate evidence or establish clear chains of responsibility.
Ultimately, some places seem to have all of the legalese figured out. Whether or not Phoenix gets it figured out before the population votes to ban them for good is still very much up for debate.
Photo Phoenix Government
