Shreveport Mayor vs Louisiana Senator: Speed Camera Feud Heats Up

SHREVEPORT, LA - More speed cameras are on the way in the Shreveport area. The Caddo Parish Commission has voted to put cameras up on roads in the parish, but a final list of locations has not been announced. The parish will use Blue Line Solutions for the camera program. This is the same company that runs the speed cameras in school zones in Shreveport.

Mayor Tom Arceneaux tells KEEL News he is now looking at installing cameras in other parts of the city to curb speeding.

"We are going to look at the possibility of some electronic traffic monitoring similar to what we do in school zones. We believe we have some particular areas that need speed enforcement."

Arceneaux says state law is clear about how this must be done. "The areas have to be marked and there has to be signage." But State Senator Alan Seabaugh says the City of Shreveport is not complying with the new state law. They require a notary and state law does not require that.

Why Does Shreveport Want More Speed Cameras?

Arceneaux says this is about safety on our streets. "Traffic studies show people running 15-20 miles per hour over the speed limit, routinely."

But Seabaugh says "We need to make it easier and cheaper to live in the State of Louisiana, not more expensive and more difficult."

Seabaugh tells KEEL News he has the votes in the legislature to completely ban the speed cameras and he hopes it will come up during the spring session. He says these speed cameras are simply a "money grab."

Mayor Arceneaux says "electronic enforcement of traffic laws is very widespread throughout the country." But Seabaugh counters that argument:

Any politician on a local level that votes to put these in, what they're doing is sending a signal that they're tone deaf and they're not listening to their constituent. People absolutely hate these things.

Do Shreveport Residents Support These Speed Cameras?

Seabaugh says the answer to that is no. He says "speed cameras poll slightly lower than trial lawyers and around the same as sexually transmitted diseases. People hate these things."

No decisions have been made about where these cameras might be installed. They are not allowed on interstate highways.