Access Control
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A San Diego judge has ruled evidence provided by a red light camera at a traffic light is "so untrustworthy and unreliable that it should not be admitted," and 300 tickets issued because of the cameras were disallowed.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Ronald Styn’s ruling is the first of its kind in the United States, where the red light traffic cameras are in operation in about 60 cities and counties.

"The judge said the way the program operates is illegal," attorney Arthur Tait told USA Today. "It basically operates the same way everywhere across the country.

According to the report, Styn ruled the CCTV system was flawed because the private company that installed it collects a portion of the fine for each ticket issued using the cameras. The company’s cut was 25.8 percent of every ticket.

The judge believed the company could decide which motorists are ticketed, creating what he called a conflict of interest. Private companies, according to the report, cannot operate law enforcement programs in San Diego.

San Diego has suspended the red light camera program.

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