The Ohio Department of Transportation may be putting a stop to the use of traffic cameras in half a dozen Mahoning Valley communities.
The cameras are used to issue speeding tickets along state routes and interstate highways.
ODOT sent letters to the cities of Youngstown and five townships telling them they can no longer post signs that traffic cameras are in operation. And by state law, if there’s no sign, there can be no camera.
Attorney Mark Finamore has been legal counsel for several of the townships. He said traffic cameras could have expensive consequences for communities.
“This has never been tested in court, and I never like to be the test case," he said. "Here’s the risk you run: it’s not improbable that if the court determines what you're doing was illegal, they could order you to refund all the money you’ve collected from those tickets.”
Finamore said the six jurisdictions have issued millions of dollars in fines to motorists tagged by the hidden cameras.
ODOT has put an August 2 deadline on the removal of the cameras and the signs.
