11/17/2007
New Mexico Town Fights Albuquerque Over Red Light Camera TicketLos Lunas, New Mexico sues Albuquerque after its police chief gets a red light camera ticket.

One New Mexico municipality is taking another to court over the issue of red light cameras. Los Lunas, a village of ten thousand, is upset that Albuquerque demanded payment of $100 after claiming an unmarked, official village vehicle ran a red light at the intersection of Paseo Del Norte and Jefferson earlier this year. A hearing in Albuquerque declared Los Lunas guilty, but the village has filed an appeal with the district court.
Los Lunas argues that Albuquerque should be responsible for identifying and fining the driver responsible for the alleged infraction, not citing the owner -- which in this case is the village itself.
KOB-TV reports that Los Lunas Police Chief Nick Balido was behind the wheel and that just two weeks ago he had received a speed camera ticket for driving 13 MPH over the limit on Interstate 25.