Few the last couple of years the Lafayette, Louisiana City / Parish Consolidated Government headed by Emporer Joey Durel has contracted with an Australian company called Red Flex to install redlight cameras at several intersections around town. These intersections are equipped with radar and cameras to catch speeders and redligt runners. They also contracted to have movable speed vans equipped with radar and cameras to be set up around the city to catch speeders.
The whole set up is neat and tidy. They just mail you a ticket with a picture of your cars liscence plate and another picture of the driver inside the car. You in turn, are supposed to mail in the fine to the city. No harm, no foul. The fine usually runs around $25.00 and it doesn't even show up on your car insureance.
The rub is that this is not a criminal penalty, it is a cival penalty. Second it is against the Constitution of the United States as well as the Constitution of Louisiana. Both state that you have the right to face your accuser in court.
I received one of these tickets recently and I REFUSE to pay it. I have since been contacted by a law firm from Ohio trying to get me to pay up. (I have a good hunch that the city just sold off a load of bad debt on these tickets and these guys are trying to get whatever they can for them). I disputed the ticket to the law firm in writting with my justification being that it is against the Constitution. How can I face a camera in court? They responded by sending me a copy of the ticket I was issued in the first place stating they were sending it as per my request.
I am waiting for them to post it on my credit report next. If they do I will have to hire a lawyer and get it removed as it is illeagal to report this to credit agencies since it was not a mutual contract. I will not pay them!
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