Elmwood Place's speed cameras will soon be in possession of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department. Judge Robert Ruehlman ordered the cameras confiscated after ruling the village, and the company running them, Optotraffic, did not turn them off after he ordered them to and continued to issue tickets.
Ruehlman says Elmwood Place must return the $48,000 it has collected since March. Ultimately the village may have to return nearly $2 million dollars it has collected over the life of the cameras in a pending class-action lawsuit. In the past the judge called the cameras a sham and said the case against the motorist is stacked.
Police Chief William Peskin defends the use of the cameras saying they help free up village resources to do crime prevention. He also says when the police department has to run radar the criminals know where officers are, just like the traffic does.
Ultimately the cameras may be a moot point if a bill to ban them is approved by the Ohio Senate.
