South Carolina City Pulls Plug on Speed Cameras But Still Faces Lawsuit

The South Carolina city of Ridgeland still faces a legal battle over its use of speed cameras on Interstate 95, even though the city ended the program months ago.

The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C., reported that attorneys for the company that helped deploy the cameras want a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year by a Columbia attorney representing three drivers ticketed by Ridgeland police.

Meanwhile, Ridgeland’s attorney asked the judge to rule in the town’s favor after the three drivers’ tickets were dismissed by a municipal judge June 1.

Ridgeland drew criticism last year when it deployed the camera system along I-95, shortly after legislators passed a law limiting the use of such cameras to emergencies.

Lawmakers passed another statute this past June outlawing speeding tickets based on photographic evidence.