Apparently Barney Fife lives in my neighborhood...

[bing_oh]

In New Jersey, a citizen can most certainly issue another citizen a summons for a municipal ordinance violation or a traffic (title 39) violation within 30 days of said offense. The summons would be recorded and issued on the identical form that a police officer would use. The complaintant also has the right to (using this term loosely here) "prosecute" the case if he or she wishes following a favorable probable cause hearing in front of the municipal court judge (at which the defendant would not be present). A prosecutor does not need to decide to move forward with the case in order for the citizen to move forward with it.

I've seen this method work successfully in my town's municipal court on several occasions, though they've always been for municipal code violations and such, not traffic violations.

Not in Ohio.