The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that cameras can be used to catch vehicles that are speeding or running red lights. The ruling involves two cases out of Davenport, but will likely impact the future of similar traffic camera programs in Clive and Council Bluffs.
In each case, a Scott County judge disagreed with plaintiffs who argued the cameras violated their civil liberties and the city ordinance was in conflict with state code. The Iowa Supreme Court today upheld those rulings.
The city of Davenport collected 1.3 million dollars from tickets generated by the cameras, before the program was suspended in January 2007. About half of the revenue went to the camera vendors. Supporters of the cameras say they improve safety, noting that Davenport’s system reduced red light running crashes by 60 percent at four intersections.
City officials in Davenport expect to reactivate their cameras soon. Clive suspended its camera program, while Council Bluffs continues to use its system to catch vehicles that run red lights.
AUDIO: Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis reports on camera ruling. :58 MP3