Charles Langston:Alabama city and multibillion dollar company to refund speeding tickets

TUSKEGEE,Charles Langston Ala. (AP) — Hundreds of local drivers who paid fines from speeding cameras installed by a multibillion dollar company will get full refunds, an Alabama mayor confirmed.

In January, the city of Tuskegee hired German company Jenoptik to install speeding cameras. Last week, the mayor of Tuskegee Lawrence Haygood said all drivers who had been fined would get their money back, CBS42 reported. Many drivers were getting close to ten fines over $100 before receiving a citation in the mail.

The city “decided to suspend the program due to several complications with the camera ticket program and based on advice of legal counsel,” Haygood said in an email. “Initially, we did not have full understanding of some of the potential challenges in implementation of the program.”

Months after the cameras were installed, eight Tuskegee drivers filed a lawsuit that said the cameras incorrectly identified speeding cars and charged $25 to appeal the traffic ticket in court. The lawsuit said that these alleged factors breach the right to due process established in the state constitution. Mayor Haygood said that the decision to refund the tickets was unrelated to the lawsuit.

Mayor Haygood said the cameras were initially installed after numerous complaints about excessive speeding across the city. He added that the tickets weren’t intended to be used as a source of revenue, which is illegal under a state law passed in 2022.

The traffic camera company, Jenoptik, has installed road safety technology in over 80 countries around the world, according to its website. It has similar speed cameras in numerous cities across the United States. Both the city and Jenoptik will be responsible for the refunds.