Daily Herald opinion: State should consider legislation to address red-light camera corruption
This editorial represents the consensus opinion of The Daily Herald Editorial Board.
A brochure released by Oakbrook Terrace explains why the small DuPage County city installed red-light cameras in 2017 at the busy intersection of Route 83 and 22nd Street.
Red-light cameras “save lives,” the brochure proclaims. And the goal of having them is to improve public safety for drivers and pedestrians.
But questions have been raised about the highly lucrative cameras ever since it became public that federal authorities raided former Oakbrook Terrace Mayor Tony Ragucci's home in 2019. Some state lawmakers also started exploring whether legislation was needed to target cameras set up under dubious conditions.
Now Ragucci is facing federal charges that he received bribes and falsified tax returns in connection with the installation of the cameras.
Prosecutors allege Ragucci pocketed $3,500 a month from an individual with a “financial interest” in the company that installed the cameras, SafeSpeed LLC. The payments started in early 2017 and continued until federal agents uncovered $60,000 in cash during the 2019 raid. Court records indicate authorities believe some payments to Ragucci also were made by individuals working for a company contracted by SafeSpeed.
Last week, Ragucci pleaded not guilty to the charges. SafeSpeed has not been charged with any wrongdoing. The company says a former partner acted without its knowledge.
A court ultimately will decide Ragucci's guilt or innocence. Meanwhile, some critics want the red-light cameras removed at Route 83 and 22nd. That includes officials in neighboring Oak Brook, who say data from the intersection shows crashes have gone up since the cameras were installed.
“This has never been about safety; it's about a money grab,” Oak Brook Village President Gopal Lalmalani told our Jake Griffin. “The issue is these cameras are mired in corruption and should have never gone up.”
The solution could come from legislation proposed by an Elmhurst lawmaker. Republican state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi has introduced a bill to prevent municipalities and counties from using red-light cameras “associated with civil or criminal corruption charges.” It also would allow motorists to challenge tickets from cameras associated with corruption.
“This particular piece of legislation is important because — as we've seen from multiple federal indictments and guilty pleas at both the state and local level — red-light cameras have blazed a pathway littered with public corruption,” Mazzochi said.
However, the proposal has faced resistance in the House and sits in the rules committee, despite having 17 Republican co-sponsors. Mazzochi says she hopes to get the bill out of committee and heard during the fall veto session.
“This is common-sense legislation,” Mazzochi said.
She is correct.
Removing red-light cameras tied to bribery and kickback scandals should not be controversial. It should not be partisan. And legislation that addresses corruption deserves consideration.
If state and local leaders want us to believe that red-light cameras are about public safety, they must remove devices installed for the wrong reasons.