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RED MEANS STOP Lights. Camera. Is It The Right Action?

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By KEITH MORELLI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2008

TAMPA - Hillsborough County has taken the first steps toward joining communities across the nation in putting up cameras at intersections and snapping photos of red-light runners.

Ten intersections from Brandon to Carrollwood have been targeted for a pilot program to help reduce intersection collisions, which totaled 439 - with one fatality - in the past year.

Do these automated cops on a pole really work?

Yes, if the goal is to issue more traffic tickets, which mean more money for government. And yes, judging by anecdotal evidence from the Arizona company selling the devices, which reports big declines in injury accidents.

Some critics, however, say the cameras actually cause more rear-end collisions because people slam on their brakes more. Questions also remain about what force a ticket in the mail carries without the sworn statement of an actual police officer.

Still, from the Northwest's Puget Sound to Broward County, the technique is winning converts.

An estimated 300 communities in 24 states have red-light cameras, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Some examples:

•SEATTLE: Under a one-year pilot program, the city found that red-light running dropped by half, and accidents and injuries declined thanks to the installation of six cameras. The city is adding 24 more.

•DALLAS: The city pulled in more than $10 million in fines during a single year thanks to the cameras, officials said. The Web site photo enforced.com shows nearly 60 intersections with red-light cameras.

•ST. LOUIS: The fine is $100 per ticket, and the city splits the money with the camera company. St. Louis first installed red-light cameras at two intersections, and they have been in operation for almost a year.

•ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: A recent audit showed that the city made a profit of $5.8 million over two years from its intersection cameras. Photoenforced.com shows 23 intersections with red-light cameras in Albuquerque.

•REDDING, CALIF.: More than 300 tickets were issued over two months at one intersection under a pilot program. In the same period a year earlier, before the cameras, four tickets were given there.

•WAUKEGAN, ILL.: An experiment at one intersection produced more than 300 red-light running tickets during the past year, each costing the violator $100. Cameras will be at four more intersections by spring.

Goal Is To Change Drivers' Behavior

"It's grown a lot in just the past couple of years. People are accepting the technology and understanding it," said Josh Weiss, communications director with American Traffic Solutions, the Scottsdale, Ariz., company putting up Seattle's cameras and negotiating with Port Richey in the Tampa Bay area. "There have been enough examples to prove this works everywhere we go," Weiss said.

Problem intersections show a decrease in violations of 40 percent to 60 percent after cameras are in place, he said. Their presence also cuts down on wrecks caused by red-light runners.

"Those are mostly T-bone accidents, the ones that cause more significant injuries," Weiss said.

Initially, there may be a spike in rear-end wrecks, he conceded, but once the public learns of the cameras and their locations, those wrecks taper off as well.

"We want to change behavior," Weiss said. "The point of the cameras is to make the community safer. As people get used to the cameras ... they slow down earlier when approaching these intersections."

One factor that that varies from community to community is how American Traffic Solutions is paid. Some communities pay per camera per month, while others pay a percentage of each ticket. In Redding, for example, the city pays $5,500 to $6,000 a month per intersection, depending on the number of lanes.

Redding police Chief Leonard Moty called the pilot program a success. The number of violations has dropped, Moty said, because drivers know that day or night there is no escaping the camera's lens. The goal, however, is more than volume, Moty said. "It's not all the tickets we're handing out. I'd just like to see people not run red lights."

Waukegan police Sgt. Anthony Joseph said one trial camera has been up for three months, bringing a 25 percent to 35 percent reduction in crashes. Stationing police officers at those locations is impossible: "We just don't have the resources to be proactive."

He said the one camera in use submits about 20 violations a day, about half of which are tossed if there is any question. Only flagrant violators are ticketed.

Some traffic analysts say the cameras may result in more rear-end crashes because cautious drivers will hit the brakes at the hint of a yellow signal and drivers behind them won't be as quick.

Mayor Frank Ortis of Pembroke Pines doesn't buy the argument.

"People should be slowing for yellow lights, not speeding up," said Ortis, whose Broward County city - like Hillsborough - is working now to identify dangerous intersections.

Pembroke Pines plans to hand out tickets that carry $125 fines. For the first six months, however, culprits will get only warning letters and a photograph in the mail just to let them know the city is watching.

Cities Get Around State Ban

Florida bans surveillance cameras from its rights of way, based on a 2005 attorney general's opinion that the law requires an officer to witness a violation before a citation can be issued.

Cities are getting around that by placing camera poles next to state-owned land and writing ordinances under which violators are charged. In March, lawmakers are expected to take up a bill to allow camera placement on state property.

Port Richey likely will become the first Tampa Bay area city to use the red-light surveillance technology. Last month, the city council gave its approval for the police department to place cameras at all three intersections within the city limits.

Port Richey police Lt. David Brown was to meet with Automatic Traffic Solutions this week to talk about specifics. "I wish they were already up," Brown said. To do what the cameras do at just one intersection, like Ridge Road and U.S. 19, "I would need four or five cops," he said.

Should You Fight The Ticket?

Brown doesn't expect legal challenges to shake the new system. When confronted with visual evidence, a suspect usually just pays the fine, he said. "Violators can see their own violations. You can see it in a series of stills or a seven-second video," Brown said. "It's a magnificent tool. We will get people who will fight it. All we then have to do is say here, look at yourself.

"People say it's money, money, money," Brown added. "It's not money, money, money. It's lives, lives, lives. If we can make one person a little more accountable for their driving skills, we've done our job."

Tampa defense lawyer Ty Trayner does see some legal issues. "There are going to be a lot of holes," he said, mainly in getting money out of a vehicle owner who receives a ticket and a photo in the mail but who can't be clearly identified as the one behind the wheel.

"The burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt," Trayner said. "If the photos don't show that person as the one driving the car, then that is reasonable doubt."

Because the ticket will have no effect on a person's driving record, Trayner said, he gives this advice to anyone seeking his assistance:

"Just pay the ticket."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at kmorelli@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7760.

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