Traffic camera tickets have locals up in arms

Red light cameras can help prevent crashes but some people in the valley said the red light camera tickets make them see red.

Last week, Cathedral City announced its plans to keep the cameras.

In a presentation to the City Council last week, the police department said crashes are down 75 percent at the three intersections where cameras are in use.

But one woman who just received a $490 ticket said the fine doesn’t fit the crime.

Mary Hardin got an unwelcome surprise when she came home from vacation.

“I got this notice probably a few days ago. We were out of town and when I opened the first one I thought it was a mistake,” Hardin said.

But it wasn’t a mistake. Hardin didn’t come to a full stop before turning right onto Date Palm Drive from Vista Chino.

Hardin doesn’t deny it, but said the cost, almost $500, is outrageous.

“This is a little bit of sabotage. I just feel uncomfortable that I don’t know if it’s even arriving and you just get a bill saying you have to pay $500 by the end of the month or show up in court,” Hardin said.

Cathedral City police don’t deny it’s expensive.

“It is steep, but those fines are set by the state and the courts, not the police department,” Lieutenant Glen Haas said.

The city put red light cameras at three intersections:

Ramon Road and Date Palm Drive

Ramon Road and Landau Boulevard

Date Palm Drive and Vista Chino

These traffic cameras are clearly marked, with signs warning drivers that they’re approaching the camera. However, Hardin wonders if the cameras need to be there at all.

“I feel like they’re taking advantage of poor people, I do. I think they’re taking advantage of their citizens in their city,” Hardin said.

Police said the numbers show, despite the cost, the cameras work.

“When you have a limited number of officers out to enforce traffic than you have intersections that have a greater percentage of collisions occurring there, any technology that will assist you in lowering those collisions obviously has some benefits to the city and the community overall,” Haas said.

And it looks like they’re here to stay. In 2014, city leaders approved using the cameras for another three years

Many people think the police department profits from these tickets. However, Captain Chuck Robinson said the department doesn’t get a penny from the tickets and a small portion is allocated to the city.

According to a presentation given by the department, on average the city gets $64,000 a year from red light tickets.