Traffic Cams.

What if you go to court on a camera ticket and demand to face your accuser?

You will most likely be answered by someone from the district attorneys office acting as a representive of the jurisdiction that cited you or an officer representing his department.

So are you saying that a rep.from the DAs office or any cop from that department can be the accuser ?On a normal non camera ticket dont they throw it out unless the actual police officer is present? If some rep. like you say shows up dont they have to take the stand and answer pertinent questions from me? Just curious.

You have been watching too many cop shows. Traffic court is a civil court, not a criminal court. In traffic court you will have about 30 seconds to explain why you do not think the ticket was warranted. There is no cross examining of witnesses, in your case the judge will have the picture and the info supplied by your state auto licensing department. I would suggest you visit the traffic court before your scheduled appearance to get a feel of what it is like. In traffic court, usually the defendant is guilty unless he can prove innocence.

Approximate 20 years ago or so, Maryland did away with all its traffic courts. Traffic is now handled through the criminal court system -- higher fines, more points per ticket, possible jail time, steady income for attorneys and courts.

Camera tickets are set up in such a way that you have to prove your innocence. It is not a moving violation, but treated just like a parking ticket.
Your local government changed the laws to accomodate camera tickets which generate a ton of cash for the local government and the owner of the camera system.

Check the ticket. I could be wrong, but I don't think they can assess points for a non-moving violation. How speeding can possibly be a non-moving violation is beyond me, but it's a thought.