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Originally Posted by speed demon  How long does it take them to mail you the ticket?
can you contest a red light camera ticket, or it's just a civil fine? |
Yes, of course you can contest them. It's called "Due Process" and you are guaranteed that (if you're a citizen) under the federal Constitution.
These are always civil fines. They are akin to a parking ticket. That's how The System gets away with an appeals process which sucks for the ticket recipient.
You need to read up on the state statute. Each state is different.
IMHO, most of these systems stink and are IMHO illegal because you are presumed guilty. Now, some people will ask how are you presumed guilty? I say you are presumed guilty if these tickets are handed to the owner of the vehicle and not the driver at the time of the infraction. This means the owner is presumed to have committed a crime. The owner must prove their innocence. That is against our federal Constitution, therefore illegal (we are supposed to be presumed innocent).
The problem and my point is that the normal legal safeguards are being circumnavigated. In a regular traffic stop, a police officer has an opportunity - and in fact the responsibility - to identify you. They then make a decision. Should this person be charged with a crime? Yes or no. With an automated system, you lose several points in that scenario, most importantly the identification of the alleged perpetrator.
The whole concept is taking us back over 200 years to the kinds of legal injustice which led to the American Revolution and formation of the U.S.A. in the first place. We are sliding backwards in terms of the rights of the People. Until people stand up like perhaps they are doing in Texas, influential politicos will continue to attempt to erode everyone else's rights for their own personal profit.