Minneapolis coffers swelling from red light camera tickets

A dozen intersections in Minneapolis have had cameras installed to nab red light runners.

The lights were installed in June, but actual tickets didn't start going out until July 7. Since that date, Minneapolis police have issued nearly 7,000 tickets to drivers caught on tape running a red light. That's more than one thousand a week.

Police had first estimated that after expenses, they may clear $200,000 from fines paid in the first year. Now that figure has jumped to an estimated take of nearly one million dollars.

But some of those receiving tickets are seeing red. They say they are innocent of the crime and the photos and video recorded by the cameras prove nothing.

Last week KARE 11 told you about the case of Steve Spriggs, who police admitted was mistakenly ticketed. Instead sending the ticket to the motorist who ran the red light, Spriggs, whose vehicle is seen in the video stopped at the light, was given the ticket. The other motorist, who blew through the light, never received a citation. Spriggs' ticket was eventually dropped.

And now Don Zimmerman, a south Minneapolis resident, believes police wrongfully ticketed him.

Both photos sent to him and video of the incident prove nothing. "The light was red for the other side it was green for us and there's no way I ran a red light," said Zimmerman.

KARE 11 News asked police how they could write a ticket with no proof of wrong doing. Lieutenant Greg Reinhardt responded, "This is the closet one I've ever seen."

Reinhardt concedes the light was red for just a millisecond before it turned green. Yet, Reinhardt says, Zimmerman technically violated the law by crossing the stop bar which is the white stripe before the crosswalk. While police have no photos of the infraction, they say they can calculate his speed as he approached the intersection and conclude he crossed the stop bar on red, but apparently was not in the intersection until the light was green.

Reinhardt says while some will see it as nitpicking he believes a judge should rule, so officers will know how strict they can be enforcing the new red light camera.

Zimmerman plans to fight the ticket. He says he has a spotless driving record. "I don't want my insurance rates to go up."

Zimmerman tried to have the ticket dropped by a Hennepin County hearing officer. After waiting three and a half hours, he was told all they could do is schedule a court date. Zimmerman says it's clear the hearing officer thought he should fight on because she didn't tell him to pay the fine. He says the hearing officer looked at the video 10 times and was speechless.

Zimmerman's case goes to court September 14. If found guilty, he must pay a $142 fine. Zimmerman says he's concerned about people less willing or knowledgeable, "How many other people who may not be computer savvy just say I'm guilty, photo cop caught me."

Zimmerman says in his case there's not a shred of evidence against him. He says if anything, the video of his car entering the intersection is helped by the fact that other cars behind him never brake as they approach the intersection. He says that just reinforces his statement that the light was green.

Lieutenant Reinhardt says while it is a close call, it is still a technical violation and he favors the case going to court so a judge can, "rule where the benchmarks are in such cases."

By Bernie Grace , KARE 11 News

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