Arizona lawmakers pass red-light camera ban

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(The Center Square) – Cities in Arizona may soon have to take down their intersection cameras that have generated millions of dollars from motorists over the years.

House lawmakers approved Senate Bill 1234 on a bipartisan vote Monday afternoon. If Gov. Katie Hobbs signs it, the new law would ban the use of photo enforcement systems to enforce traffic law.

“This is not law enforcement in my city or state, this is a scheme,” said Rep. Joe Chaplik, R-Scottsdale. “It’s a third-party company issuing tickets to make a profit with almost 75% of the profit from those ticket fees going to this company. They own the cameras and they’re telling the city who is guilty.”

Chaplik said the cameras don’t offer a driver the due process they would receive if they’re pulled over by law enforcement.

“When it’s a photo radar ticket for the exact same infraction, due process is thrown out the window,” he said.

Current Arizona law requires certain signs and notices of their use to be posted and prohibits the cameras on state highways.

Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, said red-light cameras violate not only state laws but multiple parts of the U.S. Constitution.

“This is a huge violation of the Fourth Amendment because every single car that passes by these cameras has a photo taken of their license plate and that information has been sent to a foreign company,” she said. “Use of these cameras also violates our Fifth Amendment rights because there is no due process and guilt is assumed without even being reviewed by a police officer.”

Rep. Oscar De los Santos, D-Laveen, said that there are legitimate concerns with how red-light cameras operate, but they should be allowed to continue making streets safer for pedestrians and drivers alike.

“We should not be throwing out the baby with the bathwater,” he said. “Road traffic crashes are a leading cause of death in this state.”

Chaplik noted that a portion of the fines levied on drivers from red-light cameras goes to the Citizens Clean Elections fund. First approved in 1998, the Citizens Clean Elections Act allows for public funding of a candidate running for statewide or legislative offices. To receive the funding, candidates must adhere to campaign contribution limits, spending limits, reporting requirements and participate in debates.

De Los Santos – the only lawmaker to speak in opposition to SB 1234 – was a participant in the Clean Elections Commission fund in 2022, receiving $43,233.

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