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news
Cameras to catch
speedsters
By Jamie Rogers
On-line Forty-Niner
The ruling by a
San Diego court last week to dismiss nearly 300 tickets issued
to drivers whose images were captured by red-light cameras
may set little precedent for future cases in the Long Beach
area, according to Long Beach police officials.
The red-lights
cameras currently being installed in Long Beach rely on much
different technology than the San Diego cameras, which may
strengthen the city's case should any alleged violators argue
their ticket.
The cameras in
place in San Diego use 35 mm film to take several still shots
of cars passing through intersections. The cameras that will
be installed in Long Beach, owned by Nestor Traffic Systems
Inc., use digital technology, which takes moving pictures
similar to video.
"We are the
first in Los Angeles County to use this kind of technology,"
said Long Beach Police Officer David Marander.
Lawyers for the
motorists wrote on an informational Web site that they feel
automated law enforcement computers do not allow any realistic
way for innocent people to defend themselves. They also wrote
that when shown a photograph of an alleged violation, the
image only depicted a vehicle, not a red light.
In Long Beach,
digital images are taken from four directions, according to
Long Beach Police Detective Douglas Robbins, who is assigned
to photo detail. The images may be slowed down to clarify
whether the driver actually ran the red light. Citizens who
are issued tickets are welcome to meet with Robbins to view
the images.
"You can come
in and see for yourself," Robbins said. "You can
see with your own eyes if you are beyond the limit line. You
can still contest it in court."
Robbins said this
ability would limit many of the arguments made in the San
Diego case.
Judge Ronald Styn
of San Diego County Superior Court however, did not dismiss
the tickets because the alleged violators could not defend
themselves properly. Instead, he ruled that the camera evidence
was inadmissible because the vendor that supplied San Diego
with the cameras received a per-violation fee for the camera's
use.
The contract between
the Long Beach Police Department and Nestor states that Nestor
will receive $97 of the $271 violators would be fined. The
city would receive $41.38 and the county would receive the
remaining money.
"Nestor was
getting the lion's share, so to speak, because they are footing
the cost of all the equipment we needed," Robbins said.
"That is several hundred thousand dollars."
Robbins said he
will soon discuss restructuring the contract with the city
attorney to avoid the legal problems San Diego encountered.
"Other cities
are looking at paying their vendors a fixed amount,"
he said, adding that restructuring the payment option would
be entirely up to the city.
The LBPD plans
on installing a total of four red-light cameras, including
the one already in place on Seventh Street and Redondo Avenue.
The cameras at this intersection should be activated by Sept.
28.
The next set of
cameras will be installed on Bellflower Boulevard and Willow
Street in the next few weeks. Later this year, cameras are
scheduled to be installed at the intersection of Cherry Avenue
and Anaheim Street and Anaheim Street and Redondo Avenue will
be the last intersection to have cameras installed.
"[These intersections]
were selected for a couple of reasons," Marander said.
"They are high spots of red-light accidents. And the
intersections had to be designed to accept the technology."
In 1998 and 1999
the intersection at Seventh and Redondo was one of the top
10 intersections citywide where accidents occurred.
The intersection
at Bellflower Boulevard and Willow Street had the most accidents
citywide in 1998, approximately 28, according to Robbins.
"We are just
trying to reduce accidents," Robbins said. "We are
not trying to make a bunch of money for the city, that is
not our job. If we can save one child's life, this system
is worth it. That is our job."
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