Why one Mississippi mayor vetoed installation of traffic cams found in Ocean Springs

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WLOX) - Last week, we reported that Ocean Springs is facing a lawsuit over the city using cameras to ticket uninsured drivers. Now, WLOX learns about one Mississippi mayor who blocked the same cameras from being set up in his city.

Earlier this year, the Columbus City Council approved the installation of cameras that would allow police to identify and ticket uninsured drivers, the same policy in place in Ocean Springs.

But Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin vetoed the proposal. Gaskin says he wasn’t sure the practice would encourage the uninsured to get insurance, and he questioned if it was actually legal.

“We asked the company if they had clearance from the attorney general’s office for using these cameras because I know there have been cases in the past in Mississippi where cases with those cameras have been ruled illegal,” Mayor Gaskin said. “We weren’t able to get documentation from them from the attorney general’s office. Because of those reasons, I thought it was important that we not move forward, and that’s why I did the veto.”

The lawsuit arguing the insurance tickets are illegal cites a Mississippi law prohibiting the use of recording equipment to enforce compliance with traffic rules or regulations.

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