Ventura to Use Traffic Cameras at Intersections

The City Council gave a green light Monday to a controversial--but some say extremely effective--method of using surveillance cameras to nab motorists who drive through red lights.

Following the lead of cities including Oxnard and San Francisco, which have set up such electronic detection systems, the council voted unanimously to seek bids from vendors for a similar monitoring program.

“Most jurisdictions that have given this a try have noticed a drop in red-light collisions,” said Lt. Brad Talbot of the Ventura Police Department after the vote. “It’s another tool to improve safety.”

The plan was supported by the Ventura police and the traffic engineering departments. It would be set up for an initial three- to five-year period. The deadline for vendors to submit proposals is Jan. 29.

Law enforcement officials throughout the state have hailed the effectiveness of such systems for their ability to provide 24-hour traffic enforcement and heightened deterrence to speeders at intersections. Oxnard, for example, posts signs at its city limits warning motorists of the system.

Opponents, meanwhile, decried using cameras, saying the system intrudes on the privacy of drivers and bogs down traffic courts with endless appeals over the systems’ rigid enforcement standards.

Some foes have raised the specter of “Big Brother” over traffic surveillance cameras, but officials in Oxnard say that is unfair.

Ken Klopman, traffic coordinator for the Oxnard Police Department, said that since the city’s cameras were installed in April 1997, there has been a marked decrease in the number of accidents caused by running red lights.

“After the system was up for seven months, our engineers showed a reduction in red-light crashes of 22%,” Klopman said. “It’s been really effective. And if anybody thinks this is Big Brother, they’re just dead wrong. The system is not photographing every move.”

In fact, Oxnard uses only three cameras, despite having about 125 traffic signals. Ten intersections are equipped to operate cameras, and the cameras are periodically rotated to different areas.

Klopman said the number of citations for running red lights has decreased by more than 300 per month.

“When we installed this, we never intended it to be a moneymaker,” Klopman said. “It’s the deterrent effect that comes with having the system in place. The idea is that drivers will change their behavior throughout the whole city.”

Ventura is looking into several types of surveillance systems. One such proposal would involve installation of two digital cameras at a single intersection to capture the front and rear license plates of a vehicle, including a photo of the driver.

The system would then determine the owner of the vehicle from Department of Motor Vehicles records. After examination of the photos by police, a citation would be sent to the vehicle’s registered owner.

Under many systems, the vendor is responsible for the installation and operation of the equipment, with the company expecting to receive 80% to 90% of revenue from citations during the first 18 months of the project. Staff reports estimated that the city could still make between $1.5 million and $6 million over a three-year period.

About 1,000 red-light citations were issued last year, but the new system is expected to generate as many as 36,000 citations in its first year, according to Talbot. Motorists are fined for $272 for running a red light.

City officials said they hope to install the surveillance system, which would target at least 10 intersections, by this summer.