Several Iowa police chiefs oppose proposed state rules for automated traffic enforcement cameras.
L.E. officials representing Des Moines, Windsor Heights, Sioux City, Davenport and Cedar Rapids spoke at a public hearing Wednesday in Ankeny sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation, according to The Des Moines Register.
The proposed rules would govern the operation of such equipment on state and interstate highways and are aimed at using traffic cameras as a last resort.
The chiefs claim automated equipment is reducing traffic crashes and saving lives, but , DOT Director Paul Trombino believes their main interest is generating cash from traffic tickets.
"The rules as published are one-sided," Windsor Heights Police Chief Dennis McDaniel, whose city is suing the DOT in an effort to install automated speed, said.
Sioux City Police Chief Don Young contended that the DOT's recommended guidelines "amount to nothing more than a ban" on automated traffic cameras on state roads.
No decisions were made during the hearing, and the rules could still be blocked by lawmakers.
