West Valley city pays back $93,000 in fines from illegal speed trap
Dec 20, 2018, 3:00 PM
(Pixabay Photo)
(Pixabay Photo)
PHOENIX – A West Valley suburb returned $93,000 to drivers who were fined after being caught in an illegal speed trap, ABC15 reported.
The report said the motorists were caught by cameras in El Mirage where the speed limit dropped from 40 mph to 25 mph.
State law prohibits changes of more than 10 mph at one point.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office flagged the city for the illegal speed trap near Thompson Ranch Elementary School, which resulted in 378 citations.
“I can confirm this was an investigation with our office,” spokeswoman Katie Conner told KTAR News 92.3 FM in an email.
“Because of our actions, we were able to help bring an end to the practice of drivers being illegally fined in a school zone due to an invalid photo radar zone.”
The speed limit on Thompson Ranch Road was changed to 35 mph to meet state regulations in 2017, but fines weren’t reimbursed until the attorney general got involved this year, according to ABC15.
“As soon as the current city administration was made aware of this issue, we acted on it immediately,” Amber Wakeman, El Mirage’s deputy director for intergovernmental and public relations, told the TV station.
