Photo Enforcement has Never Survived a Public Vote

Red Light Cameras Reek of Corruption

Photo enforcement has never survived a public vote. Voters again rejected the use of photo enforcement in five more municipal referendum elections in November of 2011.  So what is motivating city officials to go against the will of the people they represent?  Money under the table and corruption?  You might have to start asking yourself some common sense questions why there are so many red-light cameras in the US when the citizens overwhelmingly object to them. We estimate there are over 1,200 municipalities that have installed almost 7,000 red light cameras in the last 15 years.

In Mukilteo, Washington 70% of the voters banned the cameras and in Anaheim, California 73% voted against them. Earlier in 2010, 61% of Sykesville, Maryland voters overturned a speed camera ordinance. In 2009, 86% of Sulphur, Louisiana rejected speed cameras. The November 2009 elections included three votes: 72% said no in Chillicothe, Ohio; Heath, Ohio, and College Station, Texas also rejected cameras. In 2008, residents in Cincinnati, Ohio rejected red light cameras. 66% of Steubenville, Ohio voters rejected photo radar in 2006. In the 1990s, speed cameras lost by 66% of the vote in Peoria, Arizona, and Batavia, Illinois. In 1997, voters in Anchorage, Alaska banned cameras even after the local authorities had removed them. In 2003, 64% of voters in Arlington, Texas voted down "traffic management cameras" that opponents at the time said could be converted into ticketing cameras.

This smells like corruption at its finest. Red light camera companies like ATS and RedFlex have poured millions of dollars into campaign slush funds supporting politicians who back them. Sounds pretty dirty to me when the business of taxing citizens is almost a $1B revenue per year business.

We would like to ask for your help and leak tips to us on which city officials might be guilty of taking money under the table to get cameras passed.  We will post your tips and let Federal Officials begin to look into the corruption.  There is only one way to curb this corruption and that is to make the information public.