More speed cameras likely in '09

Drivers should expect more camera flashes on Phoenix streets next year. Phoenix began its photo enforcement in 2001 with 12 fixed-camera locations and two radar speed vans in school zones.

The current vendor, American Traffic Solutions, is paid a flat fee of $78,140 per month and is required to, and has met, an 80 percent prosecutable image rate, city officials say.

Some, but not all, of the money from the traffic fine goes back into paying for the program. The contract expires in February and ATS plans to bid again.

Update: In early 2009, Phoenix will hire a contractor to oversee and run its photo-enforcement program.

Should the program expand beyond the 12 intersections, the streets and police departments will determine the best locations, said Phoenix Lt. Patrick Hofmann, who oversees the program.

"We determine this based on traffic collision statistics and enforcement results by the police department," Hofmann said.

What's next: Until the city finalizes and accepts a bid, it is unclear how much the program will cost and the extent of the expansion. However, the city's goals for the new contract include expanding it and creating a program that pays for itself. The city pays approximately $300,000 a year under the current contract. Councilman Claude Mattox, chairman of the Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee, said that with cuts to many city services and departments, programs must be as close to cost neutral as possible.

"We're looking at expanding the program to left turns and right turns, expanding the program with more speeding cameras in mid-block so we can start monitoring the behavior those who feel they can drive whatever speed that they want to," Mattox said. "Every time the cameras appear, people start modifying their behaviors on the freeways and that works."

Learn more: The issue will be heard in the coming months by the Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee, which typically meets at 10 a.m. on the first and third Tuesday of the month at City Hall. Visit phoenix.gov/PUB MEETC/indxhtml.html to see agendas.

How cameras work

Recording the violation

• Twelve Phoenix intersections are outfitted with high-resolution, high-speed digital-camera detection systems to record traffic violations in one direction.

• When a vehicle drives into the monitored lanes after the light has turned red, the computer tells the digital camera to record the violating vehicle.

• Three digital photos are taken.

• A streaming-video camera records 24 hours a day. A 10-second clip of the violation is taken from the video and recorded onto the violation.

Reviewing and confirming the violation

• The system is live and monitored by the provider/vendor, American Traffic Solutions.

• Once a violation occurs, ATS crops the license plate of the vehicle and sends a file to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division requesting vehicle and registered-owner information.

• ATS then confirms that the state's information matches the vehicle involved and the driver matches the physical description of the registered owner.

• Once the vendor has compiled the records, violation photos and video clip, the information is sent to the Phoenix Police Department for review.

• A police officer reviews every photo-enforcement violation. The officer matches plate information with the vehicle shown in the photos. Officers make sure the gender is the same, the physical description matches, and reviews the digital photographs and the video clip to confirm a valid violation.

Citation is in the mail

• The vendor mails a citation to the registered owner with a court date.

• The citation lists options for the registered owner: Pay the fine; request a dismissal if he or she is not the driver; identify the actual driver; or request a court hearing and contest the charges.

• If the driver fails to appear in court, a process server will serve a summons. If the driver then doesn't show up to court, he or she is found responsible and appropriate fines and penalties apply.

• If the driver attends defensive-driving school, points will not be added to his or her motor-vehicle record and the complaint will be dismissed.

Source: Phoenix Police Department

Twelve Phoenix intersections are outfitted with high-resolution, high-speed digital-camera detection systems to record traffic violations in one direction.