Politics & Government

Judge Upholds Ellisville's Red Light Camera Ordinance

The decision was the fifth time this year a Missouri judge has ruled the controversial cameras constitutional.

A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Ellisville's red light cameras has been struck down by St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Thea Sherry. 

Sherry moved to dismiss the case against the municipality and camera vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) on Oct. 30. It's not the first time controversial ordinances allowing the cameras have been targeted as Missouri judges have also struck down similar lawsuits in Creve Coeur, Kansas City, Florissant and Arnold. 

The lawsuits were filed by attorneys John Campbell and Ryan Keane with the Simon Law Firm, according to the Riverfront Times. They sought legal and monetary relief for citizens who had received a ticket from running a red light as a result of the cameras. 

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ATS, the company that supplies Ellisville with the cameras, released a statement heralding the judge's decision

"At some point the attorneys bringing these frivolous lawsuits are going to realize that there is no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow," said ATS General Counsel George Hittner.

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Ellisville started using the devices in March of 2009 and by August of 2011 tickets from the cameras had already generated $1.2 million in revenue, half of which went to ATS.

The city's finance director, Don Cary, also told Patch that auto collisions at the intersections where cameras are installed had decreased by one third from March, 2009-August, 2011.


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