DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa legislators are moving forward with a bill to ban traffic enforcement cameras, despite concerns from police that it could increase crashes.
A three-person Senate Judiciary subcommittee unanimously approved legislation Wednesday, Jan. 25, that would remove traffic enforcement cameras from Iowa roadways. It now moves to the full Judiciary Committee.
At the meeting, several Iowa police chiefs opposed the bill. Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert noted the increase in fatal crashes in Iowa last year and argued the cameras were a tool that could reduce such accidents.
But Urbandale Republican Sen. Brad Zaun, who filed the bill, says he thinks governments primarily use the cameras to generate revenue. He says they also violate motorists’ right to due process.
