Opelousas council debates photo speed enforcement; rescission to be introduced next month

Alderwoman Diletta Broussard asked the Opelousas City Council during its June meeting to rescind the city's photo speed-enforcement ordinance, saying the devices are being used differently than originally described and that citations should come from officers rather than automated systems.

Broussard said the council was told the cameras would focus on residential streets and be handheld or dash-mounted; she told the council "this approach feels more like a financial burden on our citizens rather than a genuine public safety measure. I feel if a citation is needed, it needs to be presented by an officer." She asked the council to vote to rescind the ordinance.

Police Chief Mason responded at length, saying the program was adopted for public-safety reasons and to reduce deaths. "My priority is to save lives in the city of Opelousas," he said, and he cited department data that speeding has fallen about "34%" since the program began. Mason said units can be handheld, trailer-mounted or pole-mounted and are deployed at his discretion under the ordinance the council approved.

Officer Chadwick Montgomery and Major Boudreaux described operational details: Montgomery confirmed neighborhood handheld enforcement is run at community requests; Major Boudreaux said the department supplied speed bumps that were turned over to other city departments for installation.

Council members pressed for details on calibration, cost and revenue. Councilman John Gilbo asked about camera calibration; the chief said LIDAR (laser) units self-calibrate daily and receive an annual technician calibration. The chief said the lease and maintenance responsibilities are part of the vendor contract and that, under state law, revenue must be used "primarily for public safety purposes." The chief also said the city and its legislative delegation secured authority to keep photo-enforcement revenue locally.

Alderwoman Broussard did not obtain an immediate rescission; the mayor and city clerk explained rescinding an ordinance requires introduction and a subsequent public hearing under local procedure. Broussard said she will submit a formal motion to rescind for the next council meeting so the item can follow the ordinance reversal process.

Council members suggested follow-up steps: staff and the chief agreed to provide more data on citation demographics and revenue shares, and to meet with council members who raised concerns about ticket amounts and camera placement.

The discussion closed without a vote on rescinding; council members and the chief agreed to supply additional information and, per the clerk, any motion to rescind would be introduced and publicly noticed before being considered.