State lawmaker pushes for red-light, speeding cameras in Milwaukee
Amid rising crashes and traffic deaths in Milwaukee, a Democratic state lawmaker wants to allow the city to use cameras to catch speeders and drivers who blow through red lights.
State Rep. David Crowley (D-Milwaukee) proposed the measure Tuesday afternoon at City Hall flanked by 11 members of the city's Common Council.
"We have had mothers, daughters, sons and fathers lost to this growing epidemic and it’s extremely important that we do everything we can to stop this," Crowley said.
Under state law, police departments statewide are banned from using cameras to enforce traffic signals and speed limits and ticket drivers.
The proposal calls for a five-year pilot program in Milwaukee to guarantee stricter enforcement of traffic laws, reduced cost of enforcement and freeing up officers to focus on "larger crime problems," according to a memo from Crowley's office seeking co-sponsors.
Over the past eight years, the city has seen a 73% increase in traffic fatalities and a 60% drop in traffic citations, the memo says.
Ald. Khalif Rainey described the reckless driving as "red light roulette," saying it makes everyone who travels in the city vulnerable.
“We have people in our community who have decided they don’t care about their lives so therefore they don’t care about the lives of others,” he said.
The aldermen cited a recent study in the Journal of Safety Research that found large cities with red-light cameras have 21% fewer fatal crashes caused by drivers who ignore those traffic signals.
In Chicago, the cameras have contributed to a 40% reduction in crashes causing injuries and death since 2003. Last year, tickets from the red-light cameras at 151 intersections totaled $59 million, while tickets from the speed cameras totaled $51 million.
The camera proposal comes a day after Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn announced a surge in traffic enforcement following a stolen car crash that injured multiple people.
The Police Department supports the legislation, said Lt. Derrick Harris of the Neighborhood Task Force, which houses the motorcycle unit and investigates all fatal and serious injury crashes.
“In conjunction with enforcement, education and the new legislation, we hope we can put together mind-changing behavior in our city," Harris said.
The pilot program will limit the number of cameras — estimated at 35 citywide — by aldermanic district so no one area is "oversaturated," Crowley said.
If the law were approved, the city plans to use revenues from the cameras to pay for the system, Ald. Terry Witkowski said.
City officials will study how other cities have used the cameras to see what is fair and what has caused problems, such as lawsuits, in other places, he said.
"Are there cities that have had problems? Yes," Witkowski said. "But a system that is fair and is well-studied to start with should not have any problems.”
Under the state proposal:
- Cameras would be placed in "high-risk" intersections and roads as determined by state Department of Transportation data.
- Tickets for speeding would be automated for vehicles going 20 mph or more above the speed limit.
- Officials would have to run a 30-day informational campaign before the cameras are active. Once they are active, authorities would issue only warnings for the first 90 days.
- The Milwaukee Police Department would develop a policy for using information captured by the cameras and who may access that information.
- Tickets would cost $50 to $100.