j3204 BC-MO-XGR-WKD-CameraCop Bjt 03-01 0706

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A picture might be worth a thousand words, but if one Missouri lawmaker has his way, a picture might be worth $250 from the pockets of motorists who run red lights.

Legislation pending in the Senate would let police install cameras that would snap pictures of vehicles that proceed through red lights. Fifteen other state already have similar laws.

"I think this makes common sense," said the sponsor, Sen. Marvin Singleton, R-Seneca. "I think this lets local folks decide if they want it or not."

Under Singleton's bill, violators would receive a summons within 21 days after the alleged offense.

Photo of license plate

Included in the notification would be the date, time and location of the violation; a photo of the motor vehicle's license plate; and a photo of the actual violation as detected by the automated traffic control signal enforcement system.

Owners of the offending vehicles would be ticketed unless they could prove their innocence. If a vehicle had been reported stolen at the time of the violation, for example, the owner would have to provide a police report to a court.

Fines would be up to $250 but no points would be charged against a driver's license.

The bill would require local governments to give the public 30 days' notice before installing a system, and traffic signs would have to be posted alerting drivers to the cameras.

All photographic records would be considered confidential.

Singleton, the Senate's only practicing physician, said the cameras would deter red-light runners and prevent some of the deadliest accidents.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, accidents in which red lights are ignored kill more than 800 people and injure more than 200,000 around the country each year.

In Missouri last year, there were 8,000 injuries and 40 to 50 deaths related to red-light and stop-sign violations, according to the state Department of Public Safety.

A recent Insurance Institute study in Oxnard, Calif., showed that red-light violations across the city dropped 42 percent after cameras were introduced at just nine intersections.

Bill receives support

While police departments across Missouri already use cameras to track traffic patterns, the monitors currently cannot be used to enforce traffic laws.

But several departments are interested in the idea of automated cameras.

Representatives from police departments in Cape Girardeau, Creve Coeur and Springfield all spoke in favor of Singleton's bill recently before the Senate Transportation Committee, which has not yet voted on it.

"We believe this will reduce violations and crashes," said Lt. Ron Hutcheson of the Springfield Police Department.

"If you don't want your photograph taken, you just have to stop at the red light."

Sen. John Cauthorn, R-Mexico, expressed concern that the cameras would give the government too much power to monitor individuals' activities.

"Is Big Brother after us?" Cauthorn asked.

"What we want to do is encourage compliance," Singleton said.

ACLU opposes idea

The American Civil Liberties Union has opposed the Missouri proposal and others like it across the country.

"It's an invasion of privacy. Also, technology does not protect a person's right," said ACLU lobbyist Marsha Richeson.

"It does present a problem in that there's no officer there to actually see you."

Although Singleton's bill still is pending in committee, it could also appear as an amendment to other legislation dealing with transportation.

Singleton and law enforcement officials have considered creating a 10-city pilot project to evaluate the cameras' effects.

The cameras, which cost up to $50,000 each, already are used in such cities as New York City, Washington, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Charlotte, N.C. Countries such as Canada and Germany also use the system.

The red light bill is SB1037 (Singleton).