Redflex gets back to work in Virginia Beach
Redflex Traffic Systems has announced the execution of a new open-ended contract with the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The initial phase is for 20 red light enforcement systems at 10 intersections for five years with three one-year renewals. However, there is potential for a programme build-out of up to 43 intersections.
In 1995 the Virginia State Legislature authorised red light cameras for a 10-year period concluding 1 July, 2005. Commencing in September 2004 through 1 July 2005 and resulting from a successful competitive tender, Redflex and Virginia Beach implemented a highly successful red light camera programme that reduced red light running crashes by 40 per cent at the monitored intersections.
In 2005, the Virginia General Assembly did not renew this enabling legislation and as a result, effective 1 July 2005, all municipalities across Virginia were required to terminate their respective contracts and indefinitely shut down their programmes.
In 2007 the General Assembly enacted new legislation allowing communities to implement comprehensive red light camera programmes, with cities being allowed to enforce one intersection for every 10,000 residents.
As Karen Finley, CEO of Redflex Traffic Systems explains, Redflex has been an active leader in legislative initiatives in more than half of the 21 states in which it operates. To ensure the industry’s successful propagation, the company has made a strategic investment in a team of legislative experts with a keen knowledge of working the delicate, formal, legislative processes and grass root efforts.
“When the original 1995 Virginia photo enforcement legislation was not renewed, we implemented a focused legislative effort: two-years later, these efforts were successfully received by the Virginia General Assembly as referenced by the state-wide enablement of photo enforcement programmes,” Finley said. “As the largest municipality in Virginia, it was a great validation to be awarded the Virginia Beach photo enforcement contract through two separate competitive tenders at two points in time; firstly in 2004 and more recently in 2008,” she added.
Denver weighs security vs. privacy as cops focus cameras on crime
By Kieran Nicholson
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 10/02/2008 02:53:35 AM MDT
Surveillance police cameras across Denver nearly quadrupled for the
Democratic National Convention, and now those cameras are taking aim at
daily crime.
Denver police used 13 cameras before the DNC in August, but the
gathering of high-profile Democrats allowed the department to beef up
its arsenal by an additional 50 cameras.
Last week, an officer in police headquarters monitored a camera, or
cameras, trained on Civic Center and was able to describe drug-deal
suspects to cops on the street who made seven arrests near 14th Avenue
and Broadway in about 90 minutes, said Denver police Lt. Ernest
Martinez.
"It's not a panacea," Martinez said. "It's a tool to fight crime."
Martinez briefed members of the Denver City Council Safety Committee on
Wednesday, telling them about High Activity Location Observation (HALO)
cameras and the department's plans for them.
Last week's arrests at Civic Center are a beginning, with more
operations to come, Martinez said.
The cameras, which cost about $25,000 each, have a range of about a city
block and can zoom in with great clarity, Martinez told the committee.
As part of DNC security, the cameras were purchased with federal funds,
with no initial costs to the Police Department or city.
"We'll redeploy cameras . . . to high-crime areas," Martinez said, in
part based on "calls for service."
Police plan to use civilians to monitor the cameras so they don't tie up
officers. Typically one person will watch the cameras, which digitally
record information 24 hours a day and store the data for up to 30 days.
Evidence in criminal cases can be sorted out and held indefinitely.
Councilman Paul Lopez urged police to use the cameras as a way to get
Denver residents more involved in their communities.
Residents should "be responsible for helping to keep an eye out" on
their neighborhoods and "not just rely on the camera" or police to
improve troubled spots, Lopez said.
Other committee members, including chairman Doug Linkhart, voiced
concerns about possible privacy issues.
"The public has a right to be wary," Linkhart said.
Police will be on guard against violating or impeding First and Fourth
Amendment rights while using the cameras, Martinez said. The cameras
are, and will be, in public spaces and public rights of way, he
stressed. Signs informing people about cameras will be posted.
"It's not an Orwellian type of thing," Martinez said. "It's a crime
thing."
Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union
of Colorado, said the public suffers when high-tech surveillance cameras
are used.
"A program that assigns police to monitor public spaces through video
surveillance has the potential to erode privacy, inhibit freedom and
chill public expression in public places," Silverstein said. "There is
something terribly invasive about police employees watching us with
sophisticated cameras."
Tony Martinez, 28, of Aurora sat under a tree Tuesday outside the Denver
Public Library on the corner of West 14th Avenue and Broadway.
"It seems like Big Brother is able to get closer and closer watching
American citizens," Martinez said of the additional security cameras.
Jesse Sanchez, 44, of Denver said he was hit by a car about two years
ago in Las Vegas. Police didn't have a witness to the hit-and-run. A
surveillance camera helped police track down the driver, and the
driver's auto insurance eventually paid for surgery and medical costs.
"If it's going to help security-wise, I guess it's good," Sanchez said.
"It worked for me."
Lynda Cramer, 45, of Aurora, a traffic engineer, is torn on the issue.
"It's good and it's bad," Cramer said. "It's good to have a tool to help
with crime. Although I have to say, it bothers me having someone
watching all the time."Add to Technorati Favorites
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