ACLU: Grain Valley police will stop ticketing headlight flashers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The American Civil Liberties Union says a Kansas City suburb has agreed to stop ticketing drivers who flash their headlights at oncoming traffic to warn that a speed trap is ahead.

The ACLU of Missouri said in a news release that a lawsuit against the 13,000-resident town of Grain Valley was dismissed Thursday.

The federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jerry L. Jarman Jr., who police ticketed in August for violating a city code that bars interference with radar and other speed-checking devices.

The ACLU of Missouri alleges the Kansas man was “engaged in expressive conduct” that is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

Interim Grain Valley city administrator Ryan Hunt says the city changed its ordinance last month and agreed to pay Jarman $5,560.

This story was originally published January 23, 2015 at 1:20 PM with the headline "ACLU: Grain Valley police will stop ticketing headlight flashers."