CLEVELAND, Ohio — Traffic cameras have earned a bad reputation, at least among the drivers who are caught by them. But communities across Ohio are still using them and raking in fines.
Even under statewide laws meant to strip the profit out of automated ticketing, 15 communities still use them, according to records filed with the Ohio Tax Department.
Under state law, for every dollar earned from camera fines, the state docks a dollar from Local Government Fund payments — money that goes from state to local coffers. The only exception: school-zone cameras, which are shielded from that penalty…