Speed Camera News No speed cameras for West Des Moines, councilmen say
(Ban the Cams would like to thank www.stpetecameras.org for the link).
No speed cameras for West Des Moines, councilmen say
Blog post by Adam Belz •
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• December 14, 2010
Don’t expect speed cameras in West Des Moines.
City councilmen Charles Schneider and Russ Trimble said they have no interest in speed cameras — or red-light cameras, for that matter — to help police enforce traffic laws in West Des Moines.
“We were opposed to it,” Schneider said.
The Des Moines city council voted this summer to hire a company to install cameras on Interstate Highway 235 and at some stoplight intersections. The company is Gatso USA, the same firm that operates enforcement cameras in Cedar Rapids, which has issued more than $1 million in civil fines since March, mostly for speeding on Interstate Highway 380 through the center of town.
West Des Moines Police Chief Jack O’Donnell presented cameras as an option at a recent public safety subcommittee meeting. Schneider gave three reasons Monday for his opposition to the idea.
“It’s a due process issue,” said Schneider, a lawyer. “The person who is issued the citation isn’t necessarily the person driving the car at the time.”
He also believes data showing traffic cameras improve public safety is “pretty sketchy,” and too many residents perceive the cameras primarily as revenue generators.
Finally, “I think it’s just too much government interference right now,” Schneider said.
West Des Moines already uses cameras to help time stoplights and regulate traffic on major routes like Jordan Creek Parkway. The city also uses electronic signs that flash warnings to drivers if they’re moving too fast.
“We’re opposed to (cameras) for issuing tickets,” Trimble said.
For more on this story, read Thursday’s West Des Moines Register.
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