Report: Creve Coeur, other St. Louis cities sued over Red Light Cameras

The is among several St. Louis county cities sued over the use of "red light" cameras which have been used to catch cars running red lights at city intersections.

The suits, first reported by The Riverfront Times, seek refunds for those who have been ticketed by the systems and an end to the laws themselves.

According to the paper, "In Creve Coeur and Ellisville they're not even trying to go after the actual driver who allegedly violated the signal," Ryan Keane, a plaintiff's attorney said. "They automatically assume it's the owner of the vehicle -- whether or not that's is the actual case."

Creve Coeur City Administrator Mark Perkins acknowledged the suit Monday night when asked about it by Patch, but did not address specifics of it. He called it a "lengthy" suit, and said city attorneys and the city's insurance company would be working on the case.

The cameras in question in Creve Coeur are currently only placed on state roads in the city, including Olive Boulevard at Interstate 270. In an interview earlier this year with Patch, Chief Glen Eidman said that area specifically, which he described as "organized chaos" had seen a positive impact thanks to the cameras.

"There's really no safe place for us to sit without disrupting traffic, so it's been a positive thing that people are aware of it, the citations have gone down tremendously, our accidents have gone down tremendously, so from that standpoint it's made it very manageable for us," he said.