Police: Cameras reduce accidents, fatalities at trouble intersections
CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (KCRA)
—The Sacramento County grand jury released a report Wednesday on its
investigation into red-light cameras, saying the city of Citrus Heights ignores
its own policies in overseeing them and assessing their effectiveness.
"Citrus Heights
chronically and systematically ignores its own policies for oversight, testing,
monitoring, maintenance and record keeping," the report stated.
The report also alleges that
the program "fails to routinely collect and analyze the necessary
data" to gauge the effectiveness of a program whose goal, according to
police, is to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities.
KCRA 3 asked Citrus Heights
police about the findings.
"We'll obviously look into
areas they have identified and where they make the recommendations," said
Lt. Ryan Kinnan. "Those ones we find that have merit to them, we will look
into finding ways to address them and we'll look into areas where the grand
jury has missed the mark."
Kinnan said Citrus Heights police
still need to review and assess the report, and could not speak to its
specifics, but the department is confident the cameras, which were installed at
five intersections in 2008, make drivers safer.
There are currently eight
red-light cameras in the city.
"It does reduce broadside
collisions at the intersections where we have found there is a high number of
collisions," Kinnan said.
Kinnan added that the cameras
are an invaluable resource.
"We can't be everywhere
all the time," he said. "Using technology nowadays gives us the
opportunity to increase our ability to serve the public."
Each red light ticket costs
$512, he said.
The report also states the raw
data police gave them was flawed, because it included intersections where no
camera existed and also duplicated certain accidents.
Furthermore, the report stated
the city needed to better monitor the duration of yellow lights.
Many drivers KCRA 3 talked to
were surprised to hear about grand jury's findings.
"If it's helping out, then
awesome -- keep them there. That way it justifies it," said driver Yvan
Padilla. "But if it's just to bring in revenue, that doesn't make any
sense."
"If they don't check the
data and don't see if they work, then what the hell is the point of doing
it?" asked Violet Warfield. "They could be investing in other things
that could be helping with traffic laws."
Kinnan said about $100 of
revenues from each ticket goes to the city.
From June 2014 through April of
this year, the city has gotten $20,000 from ticket revenues and most - if not
all - of that money is earmarked for fixing roads, according to Citrus Heights
police.
Reflex Traffic Systems, the
company that operates Citrus Heights' cameras, sent KCRA 3 the following
statement saying it is reviewing the findings: "Redflex will continue to
provide whatever assistance the city of Citrus Heights requests or requires to
improve and increase the effectiveness of this important road safety
program."
The city has 90 days to assess
the report and respond in writing to the grand jury's findings.
June
25, 2015
KCRA.com
By
Claire Doan
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