But do those cameras and monitors in Atlanta issue tickets? They have those all over albuquere and minneapolis/st paul, but here those are used to monitor traffic conditions. In the case of MSP they have a full time radio dj in the control center broadcasting constant traffic info. There it's not used to issue tickets, in fact Minnesota is one of the states that has declared traffic camera tickets unconstitutional and outlawed the practice on principle.

As for the question about asking for a "diversion." What may not be totally clear to those outside Albuquerque is that this is not a legal process. It's not state law being enforced, it's a city ordinance. They have built a separate system, independent of the state legal system, to prosecute these infractions as nuisance violations. Many believe this is in violation of state law and as such there is a class action lawsuit trying to make them stop.

There is no court, no judge, no plea to enter. It is a hearing in front of a city administrator. An attorney friend of mine went to argue her ticket and witnessed them routinely reject every arguement on the basis that there's absolute proof the vehicle committed the crime and the owner is responsible no matter what. If you want to contest the result of the hearing, you can, but you basically have to sue the city to do so. It's not really an appeal, it's a writ that you have to initiate at your own expense which, not surprisingly, is at minimum very close to the cost of the fine (and that's just the court fees). Thereby they discourage people from legally defending themselves by making it more expensive.