Richmond plans to install red-light cameras

By: Will Jones | Times-Dispatch
Published: April 22, 2010

Running a red light in the city of Richmond could cost you $50 soon if your offense is captured on camera.

Despite privacy and other concerns, the city is planning to install digital cameras at 20 intersections to nab drivers who run red lights. Officials have not identified the intersections and said the cameras may be shifted to other locations as warranted.

"What's driving this is the sole desire to cut down on the number of people who are running red lights," said Tammy D. Hawley, press secretary to Mayor Dwight C. Jones.

The city issued a request for proposals last month, with vendor responses due this afternoon. The Richmond Police Department was unable to provide yesterday the number of tickets issued to red-light runners last year. The Virginia Freedom of Information Act allows five days for a response.

The city had been in negotiations with a vendor after a request for proposals was issued under the administration of then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, Hawley said. She said the process was restarted after Jones took office in 2009 so the city could take advantage of new camera technology.

The General Assembly approved legislation in 2007 allowing localities to establish red-light photo-enforcement programs after pilot programs in Northern Virginia and Virginia Beach were deemed effective in reducing red-light running. The law limits violations to a $50 civil penalty, meaning offenses don't affect driving records or insurance rates.

"We've been very happy with it," said Margie Hobbs, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Beach Police Department. "We're hearing from people that there are fewer crashes."

Richmond could be the first locality in the area to install cameras, along with the required warning signs, at problem intersections. Chesterfield County considered a pilot program in 2008 but backed off because of budget constraints.

"Henrico County continues to evaluate the program and its economic impact," County Manager Virgil R. Hazelett said in an e-mail. "We continue to watch other localities to determine the impact."

Hanover County is not pursuing a photo-enforcement program at this time, but it could be an effective and gentler tool to combat red-light violators, said Capt. Michael Trice of the Hanover Sheriff's Office. He said photo enforcement could reduce the need for positioning deputies at problem intersections, as well as avoid potentially dangerous pursuits of scofflaws.

Photo-enforcement programs are permissible under the U.S. Constitution, but they raise concerns about privacy as more cameras are installed in public places, and about information on individuals that's collected by the government, said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.

He questioned whether photo-enforcement programs improve safety because violations don't affect driving records, and he wondered whether the goal is simply to generate revenue.

"The question citizens should be asking is whether they want to give up another little piece of their privacy so the government can make more money," he said in an e-mail.

Hawley emphasized that Richmond's goal is traffic safety and said it's unclear how much money might be generated.

"If you end up with revenue at the end of this, that's certainly a plus, but this is not what's driving the program," she said.

Photo-enforcement programs also can be problematic if the owner of a vehicle is not behind the wheel when an offense occurs, Willis said. If the images show only the vehicle and license plate, "it doesn't tell who's driving the car," he said. Under state law, a vehicle owner may challenge a red-light violation by submitting an affidavit stating that he or she was not driving at the time of the offense. A simple letter would be preferable, Willis said.

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.