Girard speed-cams will just take money from 'poor working slobs,' one driver contends

GIRARD

Brian Golden, a truck driver who often travels through Girard, is not pleased with city council’s approval of hand-held speed cameras.

Council voted this week to adopt a manned speed-camera program.

“It’s a money-maker,” said Golden, a Liberty resident who noted that he drives between 150,000 and 200,000 miles a year for his job. “They’re taking more and more money away from us poor working slobs.”

The cameras, which will be provided by a private company, snap a photo of a speeder’s license plate. The car’s owner later will receive a ticket in the mail. The citations will be civil, which means they will carry fines but will not count against the speeder’s driving record.

Because of a 2014 Ohio law effectively outlawing unmanned speed cameras, the hand-held cameras must be operated by a police officer. That officer has discretion about whether to pull the driver over.

Palmer said he believes the cameras would improve police efficiency. He noted the city police department has shrunk to 16 officers – a city ordinance mandates 21 – and said the department rarely has the manpower to devote officers specifically to traffic patrol.

Read more about the situation in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.