1/3/2009
Pinal County, Arizona Bans Photo RadarNewly elected sheriff banishes Australian speed camera company from Pinal County, Arizona.
Pinal County, Arizona on Thursday became the latest jurisdiction to outlaw photo radar. The new sheriff in town, Paul Babeu, had earlier met with representatives from Redflex Traffic Systems to inform them of his intention to allow the county's contract with the Australian traffic camera firm to expire on December 31. Voters in the county, which is roughly the size of the state of Connecticut, chose Babeu over the incumbent sheriff in November after the veteran law enforcement officer had run for office with the message "End Photo Radar" on his campaign signs.
"So many citizens that have been speaking out -- they've had enough," Babeu said in an interview with CameraFraud.com. "So I'm against it, we have ended photo radar for speeding. Photo radar's last days are now behind us, because they ended on the 1st of January."
Babeu conceded that the state Department of Public Safety will retain the legal authority to issue freeway speed camera tickets within the county, but it is unclear whether incoming governor Jan Brewer would allow her state police chief to disregard the choice of Pinal County voters.
"It's everywhere from Costco to going to church... 'get rid of that photo radar,'" Brewer told the Associated Press. "Everybody that I've spoken (with), other than two or three people, they don't like it."
In a similar case of jurisdictional conflict in Massachusetts, a local police force would flash their warning lights ahead of state police speed traps to help warn the public.
View the interview with Sheriff Babeu: