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Hubbard Township to enforce speeding with hand-held camera
By SARAH LEHR
HUBBARD
Drivers caught speeding in the township may end up with an unpleasant surprise in the mail.
The police department is in the process of acquiring a radar speed camera, which will be similar to the cameras the Youngstown Police Department debuted this summer.
The camera must be operated by a police officer due to recent restrictions in Ohio against unmanned speed cameras. The officer pulls a trigger on a hand-held device, which snaps a photo of the speeding car’s license plate.
Police Chief Todd Coonce said the officer will have discretion to pull the driver over or simply send a civil citation in the mail. Not having to pull people over will save the officer some time, Coonce said.
The citation will carry a fine ranging from $99 to $159 for nonconstruction zones. The fine for construction zones will be doubled. A driver must be at least 11 miles per hour over the speed limit to receive the minimum fine, and the fine cannot be more than what a court fee would have been.
Coonce said the citations hopefully will deter speeding by hitting people where it counts – their wallets. A citation will not count against someone’s driving record, but Coonce said those penalties don’t seem to deter people.
“Honestly, we have so many people out there driving under suspensions because they ignore any type of warning that they get,” Coonce said.
The township trustees entered into a contract with Blue Line Solutions, a Tennessee-based company, for the camera and citations. The township will receive 65 percent of the fine revenue and Blue Line Solutions will receive 35 percent.
“Are we going to make money? Sure we are,” Coonce said. “But, the primary goal is to make the roads safe.”
Officers, who must first undergo training, will be able to use the camera throughout the township, including part of Interstate 80. The township’s stretch of the interstate, which is often under construction, is particularly prone to crashes, Coonce said.
The chief estimates the camera will be out on the road by the end of August. For approximately 15 days after the camera’s introduction, speeders will receive a warning rather than a fine.