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Ohio speeder ruling raises ire of lawmakers, ACLU

A state Supreme Court ruling in Ohio has got the attention of lawmakers, the American Civil Liberties Union and the public at large.

On June 2, a majority of justices on the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled that a police officer can issue speeding tickets based on the officer’s visual estimation of speed and without the need for radar.

Since then, the ACLU has aired concerns about the possibility of abuse and profiling of drivers. State lawmakers have also begun discussing the need for legislation to require that radar be used to show proof of someone speeding.

Chris Link, a spokeswoman for the Ohio ACLU, said drivers have reason to be worried about the possibility of abuse.

“This gives huge weight to the opinion, expert though it might be, of a police officer,” Link told Land Line Now on Sirius XM.

“There’s times when even a few miles difference can matter in the evaluation. It matters in how much the fine is, and it also makes it impossible for anybody to really challenge the expert opinion of the police officer.”

Link said the probability is high to see “a waterfall of erroneous tickets in this situation.”

Before an officer can issue these types of tickets, the officer must be certified in visual speed estimation by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.

Two state lawmakers, Rep. Robert Hagan, D-Youngstown, and Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Cleveland, are reportedly working on bills in their respective chambers to require officers to verify speed by radar when issuing tickets.

The state Supreme Court ruling seems to apply only to local and regional jurisdictions, Land Line has learned. Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol will continue to use radar as a matter of policy, a spokesman said. The OSHP policy contains language to prevent driver profiling and other forms of abuse.

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– News Anchor Reed Black contributed to this report.[email protected]

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