Effective February 6th, the Illinois Office of Comptroller will no longer assist municipalities in collection efforts for fines for red-light camera tickets, a system that is both unfair to low-income Illinoisans and the subject of a federal corruption probe. Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza said, “As a matter of public policy, this system is clearly broken. I am exercising the moral authority to prevent state resources from being used to assist a shady process that victimizes taxpayers.” News reports show these tickets fall the hardest and disproportionately on minority and low-income drivers. The $100 red-light ticket camera fines can double if they initially go unpaid, and then almost triple. Loss of a driver’s license can mean loss of a job for some people who can’t afford to keep up with these fines and late fees. Most red-light tickets do NOT go to motorists who run through intersections during red lights. They go to motorists failing to come to a complete stop while making right turns on red where such turns are allowed. Many states outside of Illinois ban the use of these red-light cameras entirely. Municipalities are free to hire private debt collectors to go after motorists who have not paid the fines. Mendoza urges all municipalities to take a second look at any contracts with red-light camera companies and determine if those contracts were procured properly.
