Stop-sign camera ticket programs eyed by more Nassau villages

Automated stop-sign tickets are gaining traction among Nassau County village leaders, even as drivers continue to challenge whether a program in Saddle Rock is authorized to operate.

The Nassau County Village Officials Association, a not-for-profit group representing the county’s 64 villages, this week voted to back state legislation authorizing stop-sign enforcement in villages.

Two mayors told Newsday they would consider implementing programs similar to Saddle Rock's, which began issuing $60 tickets last year to motorists running stop signs.

State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) said he is working on legislation that would allow Nassau villages to implement their own version of the program on a trial basis.

“I think it’s important to give local communities the tools they need, to do probably the most important thing we do in government, which is public safety,” Martins said.

Some officials believe Saddle Rock acted prematurely by enacting the enforcement. Saddle Rock, home to just under 1,000 residents, started issuing tickets last summer after a vote by the board.

The state Department of Transportation previously told Newsday that state law is required for camera-enforcement programs that impose liability on vehicle owners, such as the one in Saddle Rock. But the agency said it doesn't regulate municipalities.

While other automated enforcement programs, including red-light cameras, speed cameras in work zones and school bus stop-arm cameras, had prior legislative approval, none exists for those at stop signs.

Assemb. Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor), a member of the transportation committee, said it would take a successful lawsuit to stop it.

“Until a court strikes it down — I mean, it's only a court that can say a law is illegal,” he said.

'Wild, wild west'

Frustrated motorists feel the program is a money-generating effort and running without transparency.

“My problems with the implementation of the program are an example of why a local authority cannot do this without state oversight or authorization,” said Great Neck resident Ed Judson, who knows people who've gotten tickets.

“Without checks and balances, we have the wild, wild west,” he added.

Saddle Rock resident Robert Zausmer, a lawyer, said he disputed a ticket on Tuesday on the grounds that there wasn't authority to run the enforcement, and two hours later the village dismissed his ticket.

"They couched it as a courtesy, where we're dismissing it, but don't run another stop sign … They didn't say it's illegal," Zausmer said.

Other village leaders praised Saddle Rock Mayor Dan Levy at a Nassau County Village Officials Association meeting on Tuesday. Some villages said they've had discussions with Saddle Rock's Great Neck-based vendor, Stop For Kids. Kamran Barelli, a former village trustee, who is a principal of Stop For Kids, has not responded to requests for interviews.

Roslyn Estates Mayor Paul Leone Peters and Thomaston Mayor Steven Weinberg both said in interviews they support a program like Saddle Rock's.

Peters said he had a phone meeting with the principal of Stop For Kids two weeks ago and was told the program comes at no cost to the village, because the company gets a cut of the fine.

"Supposedly, all the municipality pays for is the hookup to the power," Peters said.

"If there's a way we could do it that's fair and makes the roads safer, especially for the kids, I'm certainly gonna give it a shot. Especially, if it's not a real cost to the village," Peters said.

Weinberg said he would hold a town hall meeting to get a feel first for what his residents want.

Saddle Rock defends rollout

Levy, an ophthalmologist, said in an interview this week in his office that he didn't immediately know how many tickets had been issued at stop signs or how much money was generated but is gathering the information. He maintained the program was about safety.

It’s unclear whether the company or village is using a license plate reader for the program.

Before ticketing drivers, he tried using three speed signs, but claims that backfired when "youngsters" began using them to race and clock their speeds. He'd like police to patrol the area, but understands that’s not feasible and has hired private security that patrols every home a minimum of twice an hour.

“Give me a solution that will make a driver adhere to the law,” Levy said. “There is road rage and aggressiveness we didn’t see before and we needed to react to that."

He said the village did not bypass any laws rolling it out.

“It’s not a kingdom. Dan Levy is not King Charles. Dan Levy is an elected official," said the mayor, who has served since 2011. "They keep choosing Dr. Levy not because of his looks, but because of what he does for his community.”

Editor's note: Roslyn Estates Mayor Paul Leone Peters' village was incorrectly identified in a previous version of this story.