I was one of the drivers that was shook out on July 25th, this is how I see it based on my experience. I was cited for 12mph over on I80 (Interstate Hwy), I received a $125 fine, they make it known that you will not receive points on your license, nor would the Bureau of Drivers licensing be contacted. This is explained by the outdated flyer they enclose in you notice by mail. They bank on this so the ppl cited just pay the fine, which I would suspect includes many from out of state who do not want to drive back for a hearing. The flyer describes how speeding is the cause of highway accidents, and the intent is to slow ppl down based on the word safety. I agree in part, however; there is also something called "Funding Generated Enforcement", which this is, in lament terms you can call it Poaching or Cherry Picking. Especially when the Ohio Patrol is most probably the entity that is investigating the traffic accidents on this stretch of Hwy, yet Girard City stands on a catwalk and hammers ppl on an Interstate Hwy for 10mph over the posted limit. Everyone on the highway is going 10 mph over, I would say including them when they are off duty. So, how can I defend this ordinance violation, yes, an ordinance violation for speeding, not a State Law Violation which it is meant to be. If they want to slow ppl down, then park a patrol car on this stretch of highway and everyone is slowing down. Oh, but wait, it's an Interstate Highway where the OHP covers. If you read their ordinance, (Maximum Speed Limits 333.03) it goes into detail about Royal Freeways and Royal Expressways, no mention of an Interstate Highway at all. So, your now in a bicker on definitions. Then, the officer's become complacent and doesn't even enter the subsection of the ordinance on the citation which runs from A thru J, I believe this has become a habit due to the volume of citations being issued. The block indicating location says I80 on my civil citation, nothing indicated about a Freeway or Expressway. Is this a defense? I don't know, is it a Formal Defect to the content of the citation or is it an informal defect? The only way to find out is to request a hearing which I did. So, on the day of court to my surprise there were at least 35 ppl that showed up for a hearing. (I believe many more just plead guilty and paid the fine). How long would it take to hear 35 cases? More than 1 Day, most probably a week. So, what's the process, they call it a compromise, if you plead guilty to the speed between 10-15 mph over you pay $40, 15-20mph over is $50, anything over 20 is no compromise. Half the room including myself raised their hand and accepted the fines. Now if you contest the ticket, you do not receive a compromise and you will have to present a defense. Would you take the chance on losing your appeal at $125, or just pay $40 and be done with it. This is a well-oiled machine for nothing more than Funding, nothing is about the safety of motorists based on how they are utilizing an ordinance for speeding violations, especially when OHP is the most probably entity that is investigation crashes on the Interstate that happens to run through the City Limits. They are generating massive funding by what I call Poaching in another's jurisdiction (OHP) for the purpose of easy money. The law is the law, 10mph is the rule, but common sense might say give a little more like 15 mph over. The State of Pennsylvania says 6 mph over by the use of radar which you would be hard pressed to find a Trooper in that state enforces a 6 mph over speeding law. Good Luck ppl, they don't need to post signs indicating a traffic camera with a handheld device, they can hang from the tree's or whatever they want to do to get you. "FUNDING GENERATED ENFORCEMENT' is exactly what's going on here in Girard City Ohio.
