Lights, Camera, Ticket City to capture license plate images of traffic offenders

The Baton Rouge Department of Public Works and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development will be making the final decision this week about which company they will work with for camera installation to catch people running red lights.

The cameras will photograph license plate numbers enabling police to mail tickets to the violators, who they may have been unable to catch otherwise.

The specific traffic lights which will hold the cameras have not been determined yet. But they will likely be placed at high volume intersections, said Hampton Grunewald, executive assistant to the Mayor-President Kip Holden.

"There is a very high volume of people running traffic lights on red," Grunewald said. "It's been proven across the country that these violations lead to fatalities and crashes."

He said the cameras would be funded by money brought in from violation fees.

"It will not cost the taxpayer a dime," Grunewald said.

Grunewald said while city officials decide what company to work with, they will be reviewing each company's reputation for accuracy in their citations.

Additionally, he said each citation will be reviewed multiple times, and individuals who wish to challenge their violation will be able to initiate a review process.

Some companies are combatting this nationwide effort by creating license plate sprays that hinder a camera's ability to capture it in a photograph.

The PhotoBlocker Spray was created in 2001 by a company called Phantom Plate.

PhotoBlocker Spray and other similar products cover the license plate with a gloss that allows the license plate to be seen clearly by the naked eye but obscures the image in a picture so the license plate number is untrackable.

Illinois and New York have banned the use of these products from their states.

Joe Scott, Phantom Plate marketing director, said when states ban it, it creates buzz in the media about the product which increases its sales in surrounding areas.

Scott said their company has no interest in trying to help people break the law, and people are "morally and ethically justified in using this product."

"We are the good guys in this fight," Scott said.

Scott said the cameras are not accurate and often result in mistakenly ticketing people who were not breaking the law.

Grunewald said he thinks the sprays are ineffective.

Scott said their product is highlighting "how corrupt the
system is."

Scott also said this is an installation to help police departments generate more revenue.

"We're not selling this to encourage speeding or running red lights," Scott said. "It's stupid, dangerous and criminal to run red lights. But if you are coming up against a system that's fixed or rigged, it's your right to protect yourself."

Scott said if officials were interested in public safety, they would increase the length of the yellow light.

"If you add one to 1.5 seconds to a yellow light, it is proven to reduce red light running by 95 percent," Scott said.

Grunewald disagreed.

"If you increase the length of a yellow light by three seconds, people will use that extra three seconds to try to run the light," Grunewald said.

Some students expressed their discomfort of the idea of being monitored.

"I just don't like the idea of people monitoring in everything that I do," said Barron Eskind, English junior. "That's Big
Brother."

Ross Baringer, English junior, said he does not mind the cameras as long as they are not used to capture other kinds of misconduct.

"[It's OK] as long as the cameras are only filming when people run red lights," Baringer said. "The idea of them constantly running and on - that disturbs me."

Grunewald said what is captured in videos or pictures becomes public record and could be used to prosecute other crimes if necessary.

"It's not monitoring, it's enforcement of the law," Grunewald said. "The intent is to create safer roads. I don't think anyone would be upset to know they are being monitored if it's preventing putting lives in jeopardy."

Some students agree the cameras are necessary.

"I don't think it's a bad idea," said Sabrina Bauggue, nutrition sciences junior. "It will make the streets safer."

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