Are Red Light Cameras Legal In Hillside Illinois

The mayor of Hillside defended the w suburb's lucrative red-light-camera plan Monday later on critics questioned what local leaders have done with millions of dollars brought in by the cameras the past few years.

Residents who spoke at a village board coming together in Hillside cited a recent joint investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times and ABC7 Chicago's I Team — which found more than $8 million in photographic camera fines were collected in the customs of about 8,000 people between the start of 2014 and the end of last year.

Only Berwyn and Melrose Park take cameras that are bringing more than money from fines than Hillside'south traffic-enforcement devices, according to the Sun-Times/ABC7 assay of records from 86 Chicago area suburbs that have cameras.

Paul Kasley, a xxx-twelvemonth resident of Hillside, said he wants officials in his town to remove the cameras.

"I'thou convinced that red-calorie-free cameras are present to generate revenue for the red-light camera company and costless coin for the villages," Kasley said. "They just sit dorsum and collect coin, and they're not concerned with how information technology affects the people of the town, the people coming through the town and the paradigm of the town."

Paul Kasley talks about red-light cameras at Hillside's village board meeting Monday. | Tim Boyle / Sun-Times — Paul Kasley talks about cerise-lite cameras at Hillside's village board meeting Monday. | Tim Boyle / Lord's day-Times

Another Hillside resident, Roger Romanelli, suggested to boondocks leaders, "Maybe we tin do more to warn people," and asked for an accounting of how the money has been spent.

Hillside Mayor Joseph Tamburino, first elected in 1981, said the suburb'south accept from the cameras the past three years was virtually $5.1 one thousand thousand. The rest of the $8 one thousand thousand from Hillside's cameras went to a private contractor, SafeSpeed LLC of Chicago.

9 out of ten suburbs whose cameras rang upwardly the highest acquirement totals have contracts with SafeSpeed, the Sun-Times and ABC7 found.

Tamburino said Hillside'southward share of crimson-calorie-free fines has paid for street repairs, "stormwater pipe changes" and removal of trees destroyed past the emerald ash borer.

"I want you to understand we've got over $5 million worth of piece of work we've been able to do at no expense to the residents," the mayor said. "None whatsoever. No expense to the resident. No expense on your tax bill, OK?"

Hillside signed a deal with SafeSpeed in 2009. The cameras operated by the company at that place issued nearly 98,000 tickets in the past 3 years, records testify.

Fines collected from the cameras totaled virtually $2.8 million in 2014, $two.eight million again in 2015 and $two.4 one thousand thousand last year.

Other SafeSpeed clients whose cameras are bringing in large amounts include Northward Riverside, Lakemoor, Land Social club Hills, Matteson and Skokie, the Sun-Times and ABC7 found.

Cameras in the suburbs made a total of well-nigh $67 1000000 in 2016 — a l percent increase from 2014.