Youngstown launches plan to crack down on speeders

YOUNGSTOWN — The city signed a contract with a company to penalize those who speed on highways and in school zones that would start as soon as August.

State law, enacted in March, doesn’t permit unmanned traffic cameras. That killed a plan for the city to use them in school zones.

The board of control today approved a three-year partnership contract with Optotraffic of Lanham,

Md., that will give uniformed police officers in marked cars specialized radar guns that take photos of speeders. Instead of having the police stop most speeding cars and give tickets to drivers, Optotraffic will send a bill with a fee for motorists to pay, said Police Chief Robin Lees.

The deal calls for the city to keep 65 percent of the fee with Optotraffic getting 35 percent, Lees said.

Those caught speeding under this plan won’t be convicted of a moving violation and won’t have points on their driving record, he said.

For the complete story, read Friday's Vindicator and Vindy.com