Russell Bowman doesn’t dispute that his Hyundai ran a red light in November 2012.

The city of Richardson had the pictures to prove it. But Bowman argued he wasn’t behind the wheel — he said it was probably his wife — and that he regarded the ticket as “a rip-off.” So when the city told him to pay up, he fought back.

“It’s like, ‘OK, you guys want me to do this the hard way? Let’s do it the hard way,’” he said.

Nearly six years later, Bowman is still fighting his $75 ticket. In the process, he said, he has accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

But his investment of time and money could pay off for him — and potentially cost the state and local governments millions of dollars from the lucrative red-light cameras.

The Texas Supreme Court will consider whether Bowman’s challenge to the legality of Richardson's red-light camera program is valid. If he’s successful, he could deal a near-fatal blow to red-light camera programs that are already treated with contempt by some state lawmakers.

The debate over red-light cameras has often centered on safety. Advocates say the cameras have cut down on T-bone accidents, while opponents say they cause rear-end collisions because drivers slam on the brakes to avoid tickets.

But the gadgets have also been a windfall for cities and the state. Since 2007, cities have collected about $641 million from red-light camera tickets, according to data provided by the Texas Comptroller’s Office. Their total net revenue is about $327 million after expenses. Richardson’s net revenue in that time was more than $7 million.

Half the money from the ticket revenue goes to the state, said Kevin Lyons, a representative from the state comptroller’s office. And part of the money goes toward regional trauma centers and local traffic safety programs, according to TxDOT’s website.

Like Bowman, some lawmakers haven’t been thrilled with the eyes in the sky. They’ve put restrictions on camera programs, such as keeping many unpaid tickets from inclusion on scofflaws’ credit reports.

And during the last two legislative sessions, state Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, has carried bills to eliminate red-light camera programs.

“My views on the cameras are simple: It’s about money grab,” Huffines said. “Cities are trying to get hard-earned money from our taxpayers that [cities] don’t really deserve.”

The Senate passed the bill in both of the last two sessions, but it stalled in the House. Huffines blamed the bill’s failure on House leadership, but he hopes a new speaker will be more likely to send the legislation to the governor’s desk next year.

“I really feel like this is the session where we get rid of these cameras and keep them from ripping off our Texans and our drivers,” Huffines said.

While Huffines doesn’t know Bowman personally, he said he's supportive of what the lawyer has tried to get done. He said it’s a shame that Bowman has to go through the courts when it's an issue that the Legislature could and should handle.

Bowman’s beef with his ticket was initially that under state law, it didn’t matter whether he drove the car. Unlike the red-light cameras used in states including California and Colorado, which include a photo of the driver’s face, the cameras in Texas capture only the vehicle.

1 / 5Attorneys Russell Bowman (pictured) and Scott Stewart are challenging the legality of red-light camera use in the city of Irving and several other cities in Texas. The city of Irving uses a set of cameras at O'Connor Road and Lane Street. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) 2 / 5A sign warns drivers of the city of Irving's use of red-light cameras at O'Connor Road and Lane Street. Attorneys Russell Bowman and Scott Stewart are challenging the city of Irving and several other cities in the state on the use of red-light cameras on the grounds of constitutionality and violation of state law. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) 3 / 5The city of Irving uses a set of red-light cameras at O'Connor Road and Lane Street. Attorneys Russell Bowman and Scott Stewart are challenging the city of Irving and several other cities in the state on the legality of red-light cameras. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) 4 / 5The city of Irving uses a set of red-light cameras at O'Connor Road and Lane Street. Attorneys Russell Bowman and Scott Stewart are challenging the city of Irving and several other cities in the state on the use of red-light cameras on the grounds of constitutionality and violation of state law. (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer) 5 / 5Attorney Russell Bowman (left) sued the city of Richardson along with attorney Scott Stewart in 2014 after Bowman received a "scofflaw" notice about a red-light camera violation. (Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer)

Texas tickets registered owners of vehicles. The fine print attached to Bowman’s ticket states the only way the driver matters is if the car came from a “rental/leasing agency or if the vehicle was lost driven, sold or stolen.” But average citizens wouldn’t have grounds to appeal the tickets if they were not the ones driving, Bowman said.

Bowman enlisted Scott Stewart, a lawyer and longtime friend, to work on red-light camera cases with him since he got the ticket.

While building their case, Bowman and Stewart found that the state law requires cities to conduct a traffic engineering study before installing the cameras.

The engineering study mandates that cities hire a licensed Texas engineer to consider other options to reduce crashes or the chance a person will run a red light. If the study proves no other easier or less expensive adjustments would prove effective, cities can install the cameras. The law also calls for a citizen advisory committee to review and vote on the report.

When Bowman and Stewart asked for a copy of the engineering study, the city of Richardson couldn’t provide it. During the discovery process, the pair of lawyers found that the city hadn’t conducted one.

A 2017 investigation by KXAN-TV of Austin found of the 50 cities that responded to public records requests, only three — Abilene, College Station and Southlake — appeared to have hired a professional engineer to sign and seal the studies. The small town of Willis also appeared to have conducted a proper study years after implementing the program, the station reported.

Bowman said if the study is not conducted, a ticket shouldn’t be enforced.

In 2016, four years after Bowman's ticket was issued, state District Judge Dale Tillery ruled in his favor. Bowman was awarded $27,500 in attorney's fees. The city also decided to immediately suspend its red-light camera program.

The city of Richardson appealed the district court’s ruling to an appeals court and won a reversal of Tillery’s decision in June.

Bowman and Stewart petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to take up the case but don't expect a response until the fall.

If they are successful, all camera programs installed without a prior traffic engineering study could be forced to shut down.

That would be a shame, said James McLaughlin, executive director of the Texas Police Chiefs Association. He said the cameras are effective if used properly. The devices make people aware of the red lights and keep them from trying to speed through at risk to others, McLaughlin said.

“There are so many fatal accidents and serious injuries at intersections because people have run the light,” McLaughlin said.

But Bowman has plenty of supporters. Helwig Van Der Grinten, founder of the Houston Coalition Against Red Light Cameras, was at a court hearing where both he and Bowman argued red-light camera cases. Bowman now represents Van Der Grinten as part of a class-action lawsuit challenging the city of Sugar Land’s red-light camera program.

Bowman doesn’t want to be known as “the red-light camera lawyer.” But since Bowman got the ticket, Stewart said, he's put in an extra 10 to 20 hours every week on red-light camera-related work. Sometimes he has to take the work home with him. Bowman said he still gets his “bread and butter” insurance legal work done, too.

Bowman has estimated that he’s accrued $500,000 in legal fees on his crusade, although he didn’t provide records verifying those numbers. He could recoup his legal fees if he wins.

Van Der Grinten believes Bowman and Stewart will prevail in their battle to stop red-light cameras and come out on top.

“These guys know the law, and they’re pressing the same arguments all over the state,” Van Der Grinten said. “They’re not going to do that for free. They are eventually going to get paid.”