Local News in Brief : Machine Waiting at Light
Pasadena officials, still testing a Swiss-built radar machine that automatically photographs speeders, are considering trying out a machine that monitors red-light violations.
The latest idea comes as the photo radar test, which began Nov. 11, has already proven the effectiveness of that device, Pasadena Police Cmdr. Gary A. Bennett said.
Of the 9,100 cars that had passed through its beam by Tuesday, 1,075 had been been photographed speeding. About 300 of the photos were eliminated because the vehicle’s license number could not be identified.
Sgt. C. E. Gray, supervisor of the police traffic unit, said the more than 700 violations recorded by the machine has equaled or bettered the output of his entire 11-member unit over the same period.
“They love it,” Gray said of the officers in the traffic unit. “They fight over who gets to take it out.”
Violators are only getting warnings pending the city’s decision on whether to buy the $42,500 device.
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