Citation

Pollock W. Am. City Cty. 1998; 113(11): S20.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Penton Media)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Fairfax, Virginia, became the first district in the state approved by the General Assembly to use a photo-capture program to monitor red lights, with the stipulation that the penalty for red light violations be a $50 fine with no points deducted from motorists' records. Beginning in mid-1997, between six and eight Fairfax intersections were fitted with housings necessary to hold the surveillance equipment; only two intersections at a time are actually monitored. Mounted cameras detect when a vehicle enters the intersection during the red phase of the traffic signal cycle and shoot two photographs of the passing motorist. A summons, along with printed copies of the photographs, is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. In addition to reducing red light violations, which have declined as much as 50% at monitored locations, closed circuit television (CCTV) technology can redirect law enforcement resources to more serious criminal offenses.