Could voters decide the traffic camera issue in Dayton?

If the Dayton Unit NAACP has its way, voters in Dayton will decide how traffic cameras can be used to cite drivers in the city.

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Why the NAACP wants voters to decide, and why Dayton officials want to keep the cameras as they are

The group plans to start circulating a petition to put a measure on next year’s ballot that would restrict use of the devices to only those times during which a police officer is present, said Derrick Foward, the Dayton Unit’s president.

Dayton recently started installing automated red light and speed-detection cameras at five locations across the city. The city for years had a traffic camera program but shelved it in 2015 after state lawmakers imposed tough new restrictions on the devices. The Ohio Supreme Court later struck down provisions of a state law requiring police to be present while the devices are in operation and documenting traffic violations.

Dayton’s elected leadership have strongly defended using automated traffic cameras, saying they change dangerous driving behaviors and reduce auto crashes.

MORE ON DAYTON’S TRAFFIC CAMERAS

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