$20 Add'l Charge for Photo Radar Hearing

PHOENIX - The photo radar cameras have generated a lot of money, along with many headaches for Maricopa County's justice system.

For drivers who don't pay the fine by mail, the case is sent to a judge.  Officials say it's getting too costly to look into cases because tickets make up 50 percent of the court's workload.

The County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on Wednesday to talk about a proposal to charge $20 for that court hearing. Despite testimony by those opposed to photo radar, the county did vote to implement the $20 fee, which will start in December.

To put it simply, if you receive a photo radar ticket, you will be charged an additional $20 if you choose to fight it in court and you lose.

"This photo radar situation in our state is just mind-bendingly evil. What we have is a situation where we have just out-and-out theft by the government fleecing the population to fill their coffers," said a man at the public hearing.

Money from the tickets goes to the cameras' vendor, the state of Arizona and the Department of Public Safety.

Public Hearing
Nov. 4, 9am
Supervisors Auditorium
205 W. Jefferson St.
Phoenix, AZ

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