The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-01-18
DROPS
TRAFFIC CASES,
BLOW To- CODE
Public Not Given Fair
Chance to Know Law,
Says Cameron.
FIFTY THREE DISMISSED
Police Must Cite Persons
Operating Cars, Court
Declares.

More holes were knocked into the
new city traffic code today as Mu-
nicipal Judge Clifton r. Cameron
continued indefinitely charges
against fifty three motorists, six of
them women, hailed into his court
for minor violations of the ordi-
nance.
The judge based his action, which
amounts to dismissal of the charges,
on the grounds that the public "has
not been given a fair chance to know
the ordinance"
Later he indicated he would not
impose fines for violations of the
ordinance, which went into effect
Jan. 1, until the public has had at
least thirty days to become familiar
with its provisions.
1.-THE citizens should have at least
thirty days to study the new code,
he declared.
Must Know Operator
Police also must prove persons
charged with violations were driv-
ing the machine at the time of the
violations, he declared.
In most cases when police tag
machines with stickers they have
no means of knowing who was driv-
ing the car.
Cameron pointed out that the or
dinance is directed only against the
operator of the car and that the
owner can not be held responsible.
At the time the ordinance was
drafted he urged the owner be held
responsible, Cameron said.
The fifty-three persons against
whom charges we're dismissed today
were among $50 car owners whose
machines were tagged for minor
vilations, such as overtime parking,
during the first four days of this
year, and who ignored the stickers
and failed to voluntarily pay So
fines to the traffic department..
Hears Only One Case
From the list of $50, City Prose-
cutor Herbert Spencer threw out
about one hundred corporations,
companies and joint owners of cars
because police could not prove what
f1rn1 employe or joint owner was
driving the car at the time of the
violation. From the remainder of
the list he prepared af1dav vits for
the arrest of 204, which police began
serving Wednesday.
Although sixty-two persons were
supposed to be in court today, only
thirty-four stood up when Cameron
asked all to rise. Failure to have
a6idavits there against nine of the
motorists prevented formal charges
against the nine, but the affidavitS
will be turned over to the Judge so
he may mark them continued,
Spencer said.
Evidence on only one of the cases
was heard, that against man
charged with parking twenty min
uteS overtime in a one-hour park
ing district on Meridian street.
"The court can't be fair to these
citizens and expect them to be fa-
miliar with the ordinance when it
only has been in effect seventeen
days." Cameron commented.
Stickers to Continue
81 have read it over and over,
as the prosecutor probably has, and
1T Is supposed to be scientific"
Even the councilmen who made
this scientific ordinance can't agree
on interpretations" he declared
later.
eff they're going to shift the re-
sponsibility to the court, will as
sumo it and act according to law"
When Spencer declared the de-
PENDANTS were guilty of law viola
tions, Cameron interposed, "but not
intentionally. They didn't know the
difference between the old and new
ordinance"
Following the court session
Spencer declared he would continue
issuing afidavits for the arrest of
motorists who ignore stickers as long
as the traffic department continues
to turn over to him stubs of unpaid
stickers.
Police Chief Claude M. Worley in
dicated police will continue to put
out stickers. He declared the public
has been educated on the ordinance
for more than thirty days, beginning
before 1t became effective, by police,
by radio and in the newspapers.
''The ordinance became effective
Jan. l. We have been enforcing it