Drivers beware speeder camera coming to local town

SUGAR CREEK, Missouri - One town is putting speeders on notice. Sugar Creek will soon install cameras to catch people speeding down city streets.

On Monday the Sugar Creek Board of Alderman voted unanimously to install a camera to catch speedy drivers.

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Police Chief Herb Soule says they are concerned about safety.

"People seem to think that the speed limit is a suggestion and it's not. It's a law," says Soule.

The money generated from the speeder tickets will be a source of revenue for the town.  Soule says they get about a third of the amount of the ticket.  He adds that the majority of that pays for administrative costs.

Not all Sugar Creek residents will welcome the camera.

"I don't like it. It's another way for the cops to be lazy out here," says Crystal White.

The city is working with B&W Sensors to install the camera. It works similar to a red light camera. A photo is taken of the license plate; sensors allow the company to know how fast a driver is traveling. A ticket is then mailed to the owner of the vehicle.

Larry Joiner with B&W Sensors says the technology is already working in Phoenix and a couple of St. Louis suburbs.

"They have reduced speed in those areas by 80 percent," says Joiner.

According to Soule the ticket amount will be on a sliding scale depending on how much a driver is exceeding the speed limit. The minimum ticket is $100.

They plan to have a portable system. It will allow them to move the camera to a different location dependent on resident complaints and trouble areas.

There will be a sign near the camera warning drivers about the camera.

The camera will go up around November 1.