Border war: Iowa finds way to issue red light camera tickets despite South Dakota’s DMV firewall

When South Dakota passed a law last year protecting its citizens from camera-generated red light and speeding tickets issued by other states, the Australian company behind many of the controversial machines did not take it lying down.

The law bars South Dakota's division of motor vehicles from working with out-of-state jurisdictions on the automated tickets, and was aimed mainly at neighboring Iowa, which shares its southeastern border. Several towns in the Hawkeye State issued thousands of the tickets to drivers from South Dakota, who took their ire to lawmakers in Pierre.

"Our intention in passing this law in 2014 was to protect the citizens of South Dakota with respect to their due process rights, and that the burden of proof should not be shifted to the person accused," State Sen. Deb Soholt, whose district includes the South Dakota-Iowa border, told FoxNews.com.

"Our intention in passing this law in 2014 was to protect the citizens of South Dakota with respect to their due process rights, and that the burden of proof should not be shifted to the person accused."

- South Dakota State Sen. Deb Soholt

Without South Dakota's official help in matching license plates to owners and addresses, Redflex Traffic Systems is still managing to track down violators and send them tickets, according to TheNewspaper.com, an online publication that covers driving-related news. The company has managed to issue more than 2,000 photo tickets to South Dakota residents since the beginning of the year using unspecified "alternative methods" to match up plates with car owners, the website reported.

"This is a real red flag," South Dakota State Rep. Arch Beal told FoxNews.com Tuesday. "They're accessing people's private records in a back entry way."

"We're absolutely fuming about this private information that Redflex is getting," added Beal, who claims the cameras serve no purpose other than to generate revenue.

A representative from Redflex did not return requests for comment.

"It's clear that it's not coming from the DMV," Soholt said of the information used to issue the tickets.

Iowa police, however, said the citations are being issued with information accessible to law enforcement.

"All of the citations that are issued are approved by a Sioux City police officer," Sgt. Mike Manthorne of the Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department told FoxNews.com. "When we approve those, we determine the registered owner at that time." He said Redflex only provides the technology needed to document speeders.

Via: Fox News

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