Lawsuit filed over controversial Ocean Springs traffic cameras that scan for car insurance

A federal lawsuit has been filed against the company that operates the controversial traffic cameras in Ocean Springs that have been used to issue tickets to thousands of uninsured motorists.

Filed in U.S District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the class action complaint lists American Digital Security LLC, Securix LLP and Securix LLC as the defendants. The plaintiff is listed as Amy Divine and “all others similarly situated.”

The cameras in question are on U.S. 90, Washington Avenue and Government Street and have been placed around Ocean Springs since the start of the year.

The system uses Automated License Plate Recognition cameras, which scan pictures of car license plates as they drive by and then cross reference them with the state vehicle insurance database.

Any license plate that is not found in the database is subsequently issued a ticket.

The lawsuit argues that this process is against Mississippi law and the way in which Securix issues tickets is “egregiously misleading and deceptive.”

The lawsuit cites Miss. Code 17-25-19 to argue that the tickets are illegal.

The code in question prohibits “the use of automated recording equipment or system to enforce compliance with traffic signals, traffic speeds or other traffic laws, rules or regulations on any public street, road or highway within this state.”

Red light cameras and speeding cameras are prohibited in the state under this statute.

The lawsuit does not cite the second part of the statute in the filing.

Ocean Springs Police Chief Mark Dunston, who is quoted in the lawsuit, told the Sun Herald he is not concerned with the legality of the camera system.

“We had our city attorney research it and he discussed it with all the offices in Jackson and he determined it was OK to do,” Dunston said. “Anybody can sue for anything they want. … I don’t think this lawsuit that has been filed has any merit.”

Dunston says they have seen a 36% drop in the number of uninsured drivers going through the city since installing the cameras.

Jonathan Miller, chairman of Securix, called the lawsuit “frivolous” in a statement given to Sun Herald.

“This innovative program is working well on its stated goal to reduce the number of uninsured motorists in Mississippi so that the law is enforced and all drivers are safe,” he said. “We are aware of the lawsuit and it has no merit so we are working to have this frivolous lawsuit dismissed as soon as possible.”

The tickets have caused an uproar on social media, with many people claiming they were unjustly ticketed and that the cameras are illegal. Residents have also taken issue with the cameras in the Ocean Springs Talk of the Town Facebook group.

But out of some 8,000 tickets that have been issued, Dunston says he has only received about a dozen complaints.

“You always have people who think it’s not fair, but I’m sorry, it’s just another method of enforcement,” he said.

Brian Herrington, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit, did not immediately return a call requesting comment.

This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 7:15 AM.