Will County Gazette

Veteran Illinois state Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) is convinced resolve for putting an end to the state’s red-light camera system has never been greater.

“I’m fighting hard to eliminate the corrupt Illinois red-light camera program,” McSweeney said.

McSweeney points to news SafeSpeed, the state’s largest red-light camera vendor, received a Paycheck Protection Program loan of up to $2 million from the federal government as the latest example of its abuses. The PPP was part of a relief package intended to help small businesses survive the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since its inception, the red-light camera program in Illinois has been dogged by allegation of political corruption, including former state Sen. Martin Sandoval pleading guilty to taking $250,000 in bribes from the company and filing a false tax return. As part of his plea agreement, Sandoval also admitted to engaging in "corrupt activities with other public officials” and accepting bribes from other sources.

Over a decade’s long period beginning in 2008, red-light cameras collected over $1 billion from motorists across the state.

“Illinois’ red-light camera program has been exposed for the corrupt money grab it is,” McSweeney added in a post to Facebook. “It’s time to ban this unethical practice in Illinois.”

McSweeney has been instrumental in the filing of House Bill 323, which seeks to ban cameras statewide. After passing the Rules Committee, the measure now sits in the House Transportation Committee for further consideration.

More recently, he was one of the primary sponsors of HB 322, which would ban the cameras in non-home rule communities or just under 100 of the more than 600 spread across the state.