Davenport leaders voted down a proposal to tweak the city’s ordinance on cameras used to catch speeders and red light runners. A judge says the ordinance violates state law and city leaders were considering a change to keep the cameras running. Davenport’s collected more than a quarter-million dollars in fines from some 14-thousand motorists in the past year. Most people who spoke out at a hearing on the cameras were against them, like Walter Skrovonski.
Skrovonski says "It’s going to be a political issue. For those of you on this council who need this job, I’d strongly think about what you’re doing. In my opinion, cut ’em down." Davenport resident Dale Gilmore also spoke before city council members about the flaws in their logic, as the cameras click pictures of offending vehicles, then citations are sent to the vehicle owners.
Gilmore says "To cite the registered owner of a gun for murder is ludicrous. You have to prove the registered owner is the one who pulled the trigger. To cite the registered owner of a vehicle for a traffic violation is also ludicrous. You have to prove the registered owner was the one who was driving the car." Susan Dill was among the few Davenporters who defended the cameras during the public hearing.
Dill says "I did get a speeding ticket from one of the speeding cameras but I am in favor of them. They made me slow down." The City Council voted to keep the original ordinance in place, in hopes the Iowa Supreme Court overturns the judge’s decision. Meanwhile, the city is stockpiling all -new- citations from its traffic cameras and will send them out -if- the state high court rules in its favor. Several other Iowa cities are using the cameras for traffic enforcement, including Council Bluffs and Clive, while Sioux City leaders just voted last month to install them.