Ohio police chief scraps hundreds of speeding tickets, says the fines are bad for business

(CBS/AP) HAMILTON, Ohio - And then there's the Ohio police chief who decided, rather than collect on back traffic tickets, he would simply throw out hundreds of current traffic fines.

Motorists are off the hook for more than 900 speeding tickets automatically issued by a mobile police camera in Hamilton, Ohio.

The camera had been stationed in a park in Hamilton on April 2 at the same time a youth soccer tournament, the Mid-American Soccer Classic, was being held.

Police Chief Neil Ferdelman tells The JournalNews of Hamilton that he canceled the tickets because of the tournament, which he says drew many out-of-towners who were unaware the camera was in use.

The tournament's director says there would have been consequences for next year's event if Hamilton had decided to pursue the tickets.

At $95 each, the 900 tickets would have totaled more than $86,000. The chief says 70 of the tickets were mailed. Those motorists have been sent letters telling them: never mind.