The village of Newton Falls resurrected its once-defunct police department less than a month ago. Now village officials want to help fund the department by installing speed cameras.

We’ve railed against speed cameras in this space multiple times in recent years, and the editorial board’s feelings on the subject haven’t changed.

On paper, speed cameras sound like a good idea to deter drivers who can’t lay off the gas, especially in school zones. That’s where Newton Falls plans to start with speed cameras.

Emphasis on start.

Council voted 5-0 during a meeting Wednesday to place the photo-enforcement cameras in school zones in the village, but it’s a good bet that once those devices go in, they will spread to other places.

But don’t call it a money grab.

“They say this is a cash grab, but only to those who are breaking the law. These cameras will help the police department so they can also be in places where they are needed,” said 4th Ward Councilman Kevin Rufener.

But during the same meeting, village officials acknowledged that money generated from tickets sent to motorists will help fund the resurrected police department.

Village resident John Baryak said he is against the speed cameras and said officials should have found some other way to pay for the police department. He said the speed cameras are “a cash grab.”

In a story in Thursday’s Tribune Chronicle, reporter Bob Coupland wrote that village officials “said having the nonmanned speed cameras will allow police to be patrolling throughout the community or dealing with more serious calls.”

Is crime really that bad in Newton Falls that police officers can’t be posted with speed cameras in school zones during arrival and dismissal times as a deterrent to potential speeders and to ticket scofflaws?

Here’s the dirty little secret about speed cameras. Often, out-of-state entities — who supply the equipment — get a big chunk of the revenue generated by drivers who are ticketed and actually pay fines. But our own informal polling suggests that many drivers have caught on to the fact that while cities, townships and villages that have speed cameras can send out tickets, but making people write a check or show up to pay the fines is another story.

The fact that speed-camera citations do not affect driving records in Ohio — no points against an offender’s license — more and more drivers simply ignore the ticket like so much other junk that arrives in their mailboxes. But being pulled over by a police officer or an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper in the moment and being handed a citation that will definitely result in points on a driver’s license is far more effective.

Walking to your mail and realizing two or three weeks ago you were caught on a speed camera is like a dog owner punishing his best friend for grabbing a burger off the counter last week. It’s not effective.

As with most things, the potential for in-person and in-the-moment consequences are a better idea. We’ve all seen speeders go from 80 mph to 65 really quickly on the highway when they spot a cruiser in the median.

Some Newton Falls officials and residents like the idea of speed cameras in school zones, and we share concerns about the safety of children going to and from school. But we fear the cameras won’t stop there, especially once the village begins to collect money from some folks who will pay because they feel it’s the right thing to do.

We urge Newton Falls and other entities considering speed cameras or already employing them to find other ways to make their communities safer and — yes — generate revenue.