Elorza Administration Reverses Position - April Traffic Camera Hearings Are Postponed
Thursday, April 05, 2018
Facing a massive class action suit in Federal Court and public outrage, the Administration of Jorge Elorza has spun the traffic camera program into further chaos.
Elorza's top lawyer, City Solicitor Jeff Dana, has asked the Providence Municipal Court to postpone court hearings on the violations.
Providence Municipal Court cases regarding the portable camera unit violations scheduled for April are postponed.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The Office of the City Solicitor has filed a motion for continuance of Municipal Court hearings currently scheduled for April concerning these violations in deference to litigation pending in Federal Court,” said the city in their press release.
Since the traffic cameras were launched at the beginning of the year, an estimated 20,000 tickets have been issued
The motion was granted by Associate Judge Daniel P. McKiernan.
For the public facing fines, it is unclear what the next step is.
{image_2}Lawsuit Filed
As GoLocalProv was first to report in March, a class action lawsuit was filed in Rhode Island Superior Court that alleges. The City of Providence has utterly failed to: (1) comply with several provisions of the recently enacted Automated Speed Enforcement Law that authorizes the use of automated camera technology for the issuance of school zone motor vehicle speeding violations; and, (2) to provide motor vehicle owners and operators, charged with automated school zone motor vehicle speeding violations, basic federal and state constitutional procedural due process protections."
The suit was filed on behalf of Roberta Ricci, Dachelle Threats, Vincent Pizzi, and others.
The 47-page complaint ridicules the Elorza administration's program. Nearly every aspect of the traffic camera program is challenged in the suit, from how the cameras are deployed, to what and how they program cites drivers, to due process and penalties.
After hearing of the lawsuit, Victor Morrente -- the spokesman for Elorza -- told GoLocal in an email, "The City does not comment on ongoing litigation."
Related Slideshow: Providence Speed Cameras Defaced.
Photo credits: Anthony Sionni
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