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Snap Judgment: Critics and Advocates of Red-Light Cameras Argue the Pros and Cons of Arlington's Plan

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 June 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Sally Claunch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Jun. 27--ARLINGTON -- The Police Department's plan to install red-light cameras at the city's 10 most dangerous intersections has critics saying the technology won't be a cure-all.

Advocates say the cameras decrease crashes and saves lives, but opponents say they increase rear-end collisions and infringe on civil rights.

Scott Henson, the American Civil Liberties Union's Texas police accountability director, said better alternatives would be engineering solutions such as roundabouts that don't require drivers to stop and longer yellow lights.

"How many government surveillance cameras do we want out in the world?" he said.

But he said the technology doesn't provide "clear equal protection" because some people are prosecuted differently than others for the same violation.

If a police officer issues the citation, the associated fine can easily be twice that of the camera's $75 civil citation, and it will go on the driver's record. If the officer's ticket isn't paid, an arrest warrant can be issued for the person who ran the light.

With the civil ticket, the violation doesn't go on the car owner's record. Unpaid tickets can force courts to sue and can affect the car owner's credit rating.

Henson also criticized the program because the tickets are issued to the car's owner, who is not always the person running the light.

"This is really a revenue generator rather than a public-safety issue," Henson said.

Arlington police officials estimated that cameras at 10 intersections would generate more than $3.8 million a year.

Police Chief Theron Bowman hopes to use some of that to hire 29 more officers. He also said the cameras would allow officers to spend more time patrolling and less time in court. He hopes to have the cameras installed by February.

Late last week, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled that the Texas Transportation Department may install cameras on state highway rights of way to enforce traffic laws. It also said the department may grant local authorities permission to install camera equipment along state highway rights of way for the same purpose.

Studies on the effectiveness of the cameras are mixed.

A Federal Highway Administration study found that cameras reduce right-angle crashes -- among the most dangerous -- by an average of 25 percent.

But the agency also found that lengthening yellow lights, creating roundabouts and removing unnecessary lights can also be effective.

Texas ranks fourth in the nation in red-light fatalities at 3.5 per 100,000 residents, according to the highway administration. It reported that from 1993 to 2003, 7,300 fatal crashes at intersections were due to red-light running.

Garland installed cameras at four intersections in September 2003. City officials reported that the crashes resulting from red-light violators were reduced by 50 percent.

Cameras have been in place in more than 100 cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City for several years.

But they've only recently come to North Texas. Cities using red-light cameras include Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Denton and Frisco. Dallas, McKinney, Farmers Branch, Bedford and North Richland Hills are also considering installing them.

Garland's camera vendor is Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services.

Few of the tickets are protested in court, usually about 3 percent to 5 percent, said Maury Hannigan, the company's head of public safety solutions and a former California Highway Patrol commissioner.

He said that depending on traffic, a typical camera issues 20 to 30 tickets a day. After the camera is in place, violations usually decline about 40 percent to 45 percent. If the violations decline, the cameras can be moved.

"It's consistency of law enforcement," he said. "That's what drives the change in negative driving behavior -- if you can come up with a system where they know they'll be ticketed."

Hannigan said his company usually charges a city a fee of $5,000 per camera per month. But he said some cities insist on a contingency contract, under which the company gets a cut of fines.

He said the company has no control over traffic signals and cannot change the timing.

He acknowledged that some people object to the technology, but he said that is a small price to pay for safety.

"Would you rather be recorded at 5 or 10 miles per hour, or have another car coming through your driver's side at 25 or 30 miles per hour?" he said.

Henson said the cameras cause more rear-end collisions because people traveling too near the car in front of them don't expect the car to stop.

Jim Tuton, president of American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale, Ariz., another camera company, said the technology has been around since the 1980s.

"It's in its infancy and something that cities across the U.S. are interested in," he said. "They're going in like crazy. You're far better off with a rear-end collision than a T-bone."

Arlington Mayor Pro Tem Ron Wright said he originally had a few problems with the cameras.

But when he heard that Arlington has had six fatalities and 1,508 collisions resulting from red-light runners since 2003, he changed his mind.

"Basically the public-safety concern overrides the civil libertarian concerns because of the number of accidents and deaths," he said.

Annual city surveys show that residents consider running red lights a major problem.

"It's been a problem over the last few years, and the people are demanding we do something," he said. "If people don't like it, don't run red lights."

* * *

10: Intersections where the Arlington Police Department plans to install red-light cameras.

$75: The fine drivers will receive when a camera catches them running a red light.

$3.8 million: Annual revenue Arlington police officials estimate the cameras will generate.

29: Officers Police Chief Theron Bowman hopes to hire with some of that money.

4th: Texas' rank among states in red-light fatalities, with 3.5 per 100,000 residents.

1,508: Collisions in Arlington resulting from red-light runners since 2003.

$5,000: Monthly per-camera fee usually charged by Dallas-based Affiliated Computer Services.

20-30: Tickets a typical camera issues daily.

3% to 5%: Average proportion of red-light camera tickets protested in court, according to Maury Hannigan of Affiliated Computer Services.

25%: Average decrease in right-angle crashes after installation of red-light cameras, according to a Federal Highway Administration study.

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Sally Claunch, 817-548-5566 sclaunch@star-telegram.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas)

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