re: info on iowa Found this article. I realise this still may be...

re: info on iowa Found this article.

I realise this still may be some time off, and is still a big maybe, but, I like the part near the end where the city representative says they will require an image of the driver.



WATERLOO --- City leaders are exploring technology to give police some extra pairs of eyes to catch motorists running red lights.

A sales manager of Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., of Culver City, Calif., is pitching to Waterloo City Council members a camera system that could be used to capture still photographic and video evidence of vehicles breaking traffic laws at selected intersections. Police could then review the images on computer screens and decide whether Redflex should mail the unsuspecting driver a traffic ticket.

"It's a supplement to traditional law enforcement," said Redflex's Mark Etzbach, noting the company has more than 200 such systems in 50 cities across 10 states, making it the world's largest supplier of digital red light cameras in the country.

And Etzbach said the company could structure a contract through a revenue-sharing arrangement based on fine collections which would ensure the installation and operation would create no additional cost to local taxpayers, while helping to reduce traffic accidents by discouraging motorists from running red lights at intersections.

"It's the leading cause of accidents, injuries and fatalities," Etzbach said, adding that cities using the systems have seen a marked drop in fender benders.

Fremont, Calif., saw a more than 70 percent drop in accidents at intersections patrolled by Redflex cameras, he said, while the residual effect of those cameras resulted in a 41 percent drop in traffic accidents citywide.

"I think it's something that's worthwhile, but we have to let the police chief look at it more," said Councilman Eric Gunderson, a retired police officer.

Gunderson suggested Police Chief Tom Jennings contact the city of Davenport, which is using Reflex systems, and the Iowa Attorney General's Office to see if the state's laws regarding traffic violations and fine revenues would make the system feasible.

Councilman Ron Welper said he's heard from residents who thought the cameras sounded like a good idea. But he questioned whether what essentially are surveillance cameras at intersections would be viewed as an invasion of privacy in a "Big Brother's watching" vein.

Etzbach's presentation to council members included video footage of vehicles running red lights and car accidents collected from company cameras at various locations throughout the country. The camera takes pictures at various points in time, showing the car in relation to the traffic signal, and takes a zoom shot of the license plate for identification.

A video of the event is also collected so officers or courts can determine if there were mitigating circumstances involved that may have forced the driver to run the light.

In Savannah, Ga., Etzbach said, those mailed citations can log onto the city's Web site and see the images and video taken of their traffic violation. Then they can pay the ticket online.

Jennings said any tickets issued in Iowa would require the camera systems to identify more than the vehicle.

"If you're going to take people's livelihood away by taking their driver's license way, I think it's important that you identify the driver," he said.

Etzbach said Redflex does have a system to operate in states that require driver identification. It involves a second camera that shoots a picture of the driver when a red light is run.

Mayor Tim Hurley suggested the city draft a letter to the company asking for a feasibility study and evaluation of how the system would work at the city's worst intersections as identified by the police and traffic departments. The evaluation is free of charge.