9 Investigates: OPD's dismissed red-light camera tickets

ORLANDO, Fla. — According to records obtained by Eyewitness News, nine Orange County sheriff’s deputies have been ticketed by a red-light camera, and 19 Orlando police officers have also received tickets by red light cameras.

Of those 28 tickets issued, two cases are still pending and 13 have been dismissed.

The tickets all were generated by deputies or officers entering the intersections without their emergency lights flashing and after the light had changed from yellow to red.

OPD had 11 dismissals, including an officer who ran a red light to issue a warning to a pickup truck driver for also running a red light, a supervisor who was using a pool car and couldn’t be identified, and an officer responding to a call from a Denny’s in reference to four black males that the restaurant thought may leave without paying their check. The men paid and left.

Nine Investigates asked OPD for an interview to discuss the dismissals, but OPD declined to go on camera instead issuing the following statement, “when a law enforcement officer is not en route to an emergency and disregards a traffic control device,  he or she is held to the same standard as all citizens.  Officers found in violation are responsible for paying their fines or following the same legal system afforded to every citizen.”

We also asked the OCSO for an explanation into it policy and were issued a similar statement, “members of law enforcement are no different than any other citizen.  When a law enforcement officer is not en route to an emergency and disregards a traffic control device he or she is held to the same standard as everyone else.  Deputies found in violation in these instances paid their full fine.”

Of the 13 fines paid by officers and deputies, many members also received counseling from a supervisor for their red light violation. They were also responsible for paying the full fine, typically $158.

WFTV