Red light cameras up for debate

Council to hear proposals this spring

MOSES LAKE — You don't have to say "cheese," but running that red light could soon lead to a $100 glossy shot of your license plate.

The details are still being worked out, but a proposal by Moses Lake Police Chief Dean Mitchell would install cameras at two intersections in the city limits as part of a pilot program to catch red light runners.

"It's becoming more popular," City Manager Joe Gavinski told council members at their retreat last week. "Simply because there's more red light running."

The city council has not made any decisions on the issue, and a majority of council members must approve an ordinance before any cameras are installed. The issue was presented during the council's annual retreat last week at the Cave B Inn in Quincy, and Gavinski said a proposal would be brought to council members for consideration soon.

The Legislature approved using traffic enforcement cameras last year, and the cities of Lakewood and Auburn in western Washington have already installed cameras there. Mitchell said he plans to contact both cities in the coming months to determine the pros and cons those police departments have encountered using the cameras.

The police department is targeting the intersections at Broadway Avenue and Alder Street and Stratford and Valley roads. In between those two roads is the Alder Street fill, a stretch of roadway where city engineers have counted more than 32,000 vehicle crossings in an average 24-hour period in 2005.

"Anybody that's spent any time at either of those intersections have seen people running red lights," Mitchell said.

Red light running and drivers following too close have been cited as the leading causes of accidents at the Valley and Stratford roads intersection, which saw close to 90 accidents from 2001-2005. Ten of those accidents at the intersection resulted in injuries.

The idea is to get people to obey the traffic lights, Mitchell said, noting that other states which have begun utilizing the programs have realized a 25-45 percent reduction in red light violations. Mitchell proposed the program in part because of the growing traffic flow and accident numbers at intersections in Moses Lake.

"It's a public safety issue, it's another tool that we'll utilize to make the streets safer for people," Mitchell said, adding the number of controlled intersections within the city restricts officers from keeping a constant eye on them all. The problem is, Mitchell said, unless an officer is behind a motorist when a violation occurs, it is difficult for them to pursue red light runners.

State law prohibits the cameras from capturing the faces of drivers, but the video cameras would simultaneously photograph both vehicle license plates and the traffic light itself.

Installing and using the cameras would not be at a cost to the city, Mitchell said. The contracted company would receive a fee for every ticket issued. He said the plan would not be a money maker, but would be designed to be self-sustaining for the police department.

One company the city is working with, Nestor Traffic Systems, would have technicians review videos to later be reviewed by police officers. Mitchell said police officers would confirm any violations, leading to an infraction being sent to the registered owner of the violating vehicle. The ticket would not go on a motorist's driving record, and would be similar to a parking ticket. A fine has not yet been priced, but the police department is indicating those infractions will cost around $100 for each red light violation.

If the council decides to pursue the cameras, Mitchell said the city would release public safety announcements and post signs at the intersections where they are being used. The mobile nature of the cameras would allow them to be moved from different intersections, depending on the need.

"It's in the interest of public safety that we're looking at it," Mitchell said.