Glendale gives up on red-light cameras, won't enforce tickets

Glendale police will no longer issue citations for red-light violations caught by cameras set up at four intersections throughout the city, officials said.

The decision, which took effect Feb. 24, was made because the program had become a burden on resources and police needed the officer assigned to reviewing violations out in the field, officials said.

The city of Los Angeles ended its red-light camera program last year.

INTERACTIVE: How red-light cameras work

In short, the nearly 4-year-old red-light camera program became “cumbersome” and not “the best use of our resources,” Capt. Carl Povilaitis said.

Police sent a letter last month to the camera system's operator, Phoenix-based Redflex Traffic Systems, to terminate the program.

Glendale's move comes eight months after the Los Angeles City Council and Police Commission unanimously voted to terminate their red-light camera enforcement for an array of reasons, including its cost effectiveness and payment of the tickets.

While state laws allow police agencies to use red-light cameras for enforcement, recent successful litigation challenging the legality of those citations also played a role in the decision to stop the program, Public Works Director Steve Zurn said.

“It just didn't make a lot sense to keep going forward with it,” he said.

More than 5,800 citations were issued last year to motorists through the red-light cameras, police said.

Police have already started dismissing red-light violation citations, and local courthouses have been notified about the department's decision, Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz told the Glendale News-Press.

Police will not pursue citations issued to motorists before Feb. 24, and will not contest a ticket that's challenged in court.

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-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Photo: Red-light camera in Glendale. Credit: Times Community News