Tempe brings back photo enforcement for red light runners and speedy drivers
TEMPE, Ariz. - For the first time in over a decade, red light and speed cameras are coming back to Tempe.
The backstory:
Drivers spoke to FOX 10 in 2009, just before police said the cameras were removed, who were not fans of programs like this.
"I would agree with it more on a street corner where there's a school or something, but why on the freeway, why every five miles? It's a revenue scam basically," a driver previously said.
Now, years later, some Valley cities are bringing back photo enforcement.
Phoenix is working on a new red light camera program, and you can add Tempe to the list, too.
What we know:
Tempe is adding cameras to 14 intersections in the city, and officials say it's all about saving lives on the road.
The cameras are being installed throughout the city at some of its busiest intersections.
Starting May 7, anyone who speeds or runs a red light at these intersections will get their picture taken.
"And the people will just get warnings to start out with, and then on June 5, hopefully we're going to start issuing true citations where people will be held accountable for their violations," Tempe Police Lt. Mike Hayes said.
Tempe drivers will soon see red light and speed cameras at 14 high-risk intersections, but that's not all.
"Then we have four other mobile cameras that will be moving throughout the year," Lt. Hayes said. "We use the same kind of statistical analysis to put those cameras on those major roadways to places where we've seen high amounts of wrecks on arterial streets, where people are picking up big, heavy speeds, and through speed studies that show that people are a little bit faster on those roads as compared to other roads."
The Tempe Police Department says this is all in response to achieving Vision Zero and reducing deaths on Tempe roads.
"What we did is, to figure out where the photo radar cameras should be positioned was, we did about a three to five year study in our worst intersections and areas that have had bad collisions. We can use our officers in other locations around the city to kind of make the city as a whole much safer," Lt. Hayes explained.
He says drivers who violate the law and are caught on one of the cameras can expect to see a civil citation with a fine of $250 in the mail.
"We receive video and still photos from the company, and then we can see everything that they did while they were driving that vehicle through the intersection or pass one of the mobile cameras. We can see their face, everything. We have to judge that. Our people internally judge that to make sure it's the correct person, the violation is correct. If none of that is true, then we don't send it out. We don't send that back and verify that. They will never get a ticket," Lt. Hayes said.
What we don't know:
FOX 10 asked how much the program is costing the city.
It said, "The installation of the intersection and mobile systems cost $100,000 and Tempe will pay $2,000 per month in operating fees, plus $20 for every violator that pleas or is found responsible or successfully completes defensive driving school."
What you can do:
If you receive a citation, Tempe Police say you'll have the opportunity to go to court, pay it outright or go to driving school if you are eligible.
If it's not paid, it'll go to collections, the same way the court handles other citations.
Click here to learn more about Tempe's photo enforcement.