5/15/2007
Texas: Man Found Innocent Still Gets Red Light Camera Collection NoticesA motorist declared innocent of a red light camera violation still gets collection notices from Houston, Texas.
A man found "not liable" for a red light camera ticket is still being asked to pay money to Houston, Texas. On February 4, a red SUV with a license plate ending in the letters "PPM" was photographed entering an intersection after the signal light turned red. Weeks later, Houston resident Ken Braunstein, the owner of a white Honda Accord coupe with plates ending in "PPN," received a ticket in the mail bearing a photograph of the red SUV.
"This is not my fault," Braunstein told KPRC-TV. "Someone made a mistake."
Braunstein was forced to take time off work to prove his own innocence. He was found "not liable" in an official hearing, but he is still getting harassing collection notices from the city.
Houston Police Sergeant Michael Muench told KPRC that the red light camera program produced "high-quality" citations with a "99 percent" accuracy rate. With 64,000 tickets issued so far, that means at least 640 individuals have been falsely accused, according to Muench's figure.
So far, only 150 have gone to the trouble and expense of challenging the $75 citations.