Panel hears support for traffic cameras

Friday, March 14, 2003 | 9:51 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A Las Vegas woman whose vehicle has been hit twice by drivers running red lights urged lawmakers Thursday to allow local governments to mount cameras at intersections to catch errant motorists.

Erin Breen of the Safe Community Partnership told the Senate Finance Committee 23 people died in 2001, 19 of them in Clark County, due to motorists speeding through red lights.

"There is a real problem in my community," said Breen, who gained support from law enforcement and the California State Automobile Association. Breen told the committee she was T-boned twice by other cars whose drivers ignored the red light.

Senate Bill 220 would repeal a law that restricts law enforcement use of cameras mounted on such things as streetlights or traffic signals. The current law prohibits using the cameras to photograph a traffic violation as the basis for a citation that would be mailed to the vehicle's owner.

Red light accidents have decreased in areas that have installed these cameras, Breen said.

Breen said the biggest objection she has heard is from those who say "Big Brother is watching." But cameras are already stationed in banks, casinos and convenience stores, she said.

Robert Glover, a Sparks resident and representative of the National Motorists Association, opposed the bill. Accused motorists would not have a chance to confront and question their accuser because it is a camera, he said.

The system, he said, is based on the driver being guilty until proven innocent.

Glover said any ticket under this system would go to the owner of the car, and then it becomes a question of who was driving -- the owner or somebody else. There could be misidentifications, he suggested.

Metro Police Lt. Stan Olsen expressed support for the bill. He said any offense should be treated as a parking ticket, not a moving violation.

"The goal is to make the intersections safe, not to punish the driver," Olsen said. The purpose is not to generate additional revenue for counties and cities. He said it could be handled the same as a parking ticket: A motorist could plead his case before a hearing officer.

There are two systems, he said. One photographs only the back of the vehicle and the license plate. The other takes pictures of the front and back of the car as it goes through the red light.

Lisa Foster of AAA said such red light cameras "have helped to reduce crash rates." A survey found that majority of AAA members in Las Vegas believe more needs to be done about about motorists who speed through red lights, she said.

Foster said motorists should be informed that these cameras are mounted and working.

A subcommittee was set up headed by Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, to further consider the bill.