Attorney General Offers Opinion On Red Light Bill
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Of the 1,500 bits of legislation proposed at the Statehouse each session, the state's attorney general, Steve Carter, offers his testimony on just a handful.
Tuesday morning, he stood before the State Senate's Transportation and Homeland Security Committee hearing and backed Sen. Kent Adam's Sentate Bill 3 - legislation authorizing local (city and town) governments to use automated traffic enforcement devices or red light cameras.
"The bill is a clear example of 'home rule,'" Carter said yesterday afternoon during a stopover visit at Warsaw Municipal Airport. "The people that drive the roads know the traffic conditions the best. Local government should have a voice where safety is a concern."
Carter was joined by Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins, Warsaw Police Department Lt. Bret Richardson and Ann Sweet, a local red light camera advocate. They had just returned to the city after testifying before the committee.
Carter landed in Warsaw after flights to Fort Wayne and Elkhart to discuss the legislation.
"We need to encourage governments to use the most modern technology for law enforcement," Carter said. "This community has been at the forefront looking at (red-light camera) technology and studies show this can reduce accidents and fatalities."
In 2001, Gary Cook (D-Plymouth), then chairman of the House Roads and Transportation Committee, put the brakes on the bill because he thought the law allowed local governments to install the cameras on state roads. The attorney general's office was asked to study the current ordinances. Carter's opinion was that current codes did not allow the local entities to put the cameras up on state highways.
However, local governments can opt to install devices on local roadways.
Of the nine people speaking before the committee Tuesday, Sweet said, there were two who spoke against the bill.
"They maintain extended yellow light periods will cut down on red light running," she said. "There are 76 cities in the United States (46 more than last year) with red light cameras. They all tried longer yellow lights first. People get used to it and the number of violations just increase."
Richardson said there have been 438 crashes at the six Warsaw - U.S. 30 intersections in the last four years.
"We can't dedicate an officer to patrol U.S. 30 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "Red light cameras are just another tool to assist the department in enforcement."
In 2002 Warsaw police officers spent 232 additional hours patrolling U.S. 30, which resulted in 72 disregarding red light violations. In 2001, 415 additional manhours were spent along the four-mile stretch, resulting in 143 traffic tickets for this single offense. [[In-content Ad]]
Of the 1,500 bits of legislation proposed at the Statehouse each session, the state's attorney general, Steve Carter, offers his testimony on just a handful.
Tuesday morning, he stood before the State Senate's Transportation and Homeland Security Committee hearing and backed Sen. Kent Adam's Sentate Bill 3 - legislation authorizing local (city and town) governments to use automated traffic enforcement devices or red light cameras.
"The bill is a clear example of 'home rule,'" Carter said yesterday afternoon during a stopover visit at Warsaw Municipal Airport. "The people that drive the roads know the traffic conditions the best. Local government should have a voice where safety is a concern."
Carter was joined by Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins, Warsaw Police Department Lt. Bret Richardson and Ann Sweet, a local red light camera advocate. They had just returned to the city after testifying before the committee.
Carter landed in Warsaw after flights to Fort Wayne and Elkhart to discuss the legislation.
"We need to encourage governments to use the most modern technology for law enforcement," Carter said. "This community has been at the forefront looking at (red-light camera) technology and studies show this can reduce accidents and fatalities."
In 2001, Gary Cook (D-Plymouth), then chairman of the House Roads and Transportation Committee, put the brakes on the bill because he thought the law allowed local governments to install the cameras on state roads. The attorney general's office was asked to study the current ordinances. Carter's opinion was that current codes did not allow the local entities to put the cameras up on state highways.
However, local governments can opt to install devices on local roadways.
Of the nine people speaking before the committee Tuesday, Sweet said, there were two who spoke against the bill.
"They maintain extended yellow light periods will cut down on red light running," she said. "There are 76 cities in the United States (46 more than last year) with red light cameras. They all tried longer yellow lights first. People get used to it and the number of violations just increase."
Richardson said there have been 438 crashes at the six Warsaw - U.S. 30 intersections in the last four years.
"We can't dedicate an officer to patrol U.S. 30 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "Red light cameras are just another tool to assist the department in enforcement."
In 2002 Warsaw police officers spent 232 additional hours patrolling U.S. 30, which resulted in 72 disregarding red light violations. In 2001, 415 additional manhours were spent along the four-mile stretch, resulting in 143 traffic tickets for this single offense. [[In-content Ad]]