Missouri State Rep. Bryan Spencer filed a proposal ahead of a new legislative session January 6 that hopes to put the brakes on red-light cameras less than five months after the Missouri Supreme Court struck down red-light camera laws in St. Louis, Moline Acres and St. Peters.
Spencer, as have many others, believes that the cities began using the cameras not as a safety measure but to generate revenue reports STL Today . The high court's ruling however, did not specifically ban the cameras although Spencer said the decision may help sway his colleagues in his favor.
The court ruled St. Louis' ordinance as unconstitutional because of the presumption of guilt on car owners that forces them to prove they were not driving the vehicle caught running the light. Meanwhile, the St. Peters ordinance was found by the court to have violated a state law by not requiring points be issued for red light camera tickets since running a red light is a moving violation similar to speeding.
Points are assessed against the driver's license of a driver running a red-light if caught by a policeman. If a camera catches a driver, there are no points assessed on the violation because he just has to pay the $100 fine.
After the court ruling, St. Louis stopped issuing tickets, dismissed all pending cases and people who have been issued tickets after a lower court's ruling almost two years ago do not have to pay the fine. Those who have already paid will get a refund. Meanwhile, St. Peters had already ended its red-light program according to The Newspaper.
Proponents, on the other hand, say red light cameras work by drastically reducing incidents of crashes and violations at nearly every intersection where they are used. There is also an added benefit as police have used the cameras in several occasions to solve and prosecute crimes reports Watertown Daily Times.
Former Missouri Supreme Court Justice Michael Wolff, who was a consultant for a red light camera company said new or revised ordinances might make camera programs constitutional. A spokesperson from St. Louis said they are looking for ways to conform with the rulings by assessing points for violations and using cameras that are capable of capturing the driver's face and not just the vehicle and license plate. This will hopefully address the presumption of guilt for the vehicle owner issue.
