Cameras added to Puyallup intersections

Three intersections will be fitted with camera systems to catch drivers who run red lights

Chris Albert

The Puyallup Police Department is getting help in combatting drivers who run red lights — installation of cameras at three city intersections.

When drivers run red lights it increases driver frustration and can lead to road rage, which can lead to accidents, said Sgt. Bob Thompson.

“The major goal in doing this is to decrease collisions and decrease injury collisions,” he said.

The system will go live in mid-February with a warning period for drivers through March.

Hopefully the addition of cameras will get drivers to modify their behavior so they’re not running red lights, Thompson said.

Sometime this February, the cameras will be installed at the intersections of River Road and Meridian, 39th and 9th Street South West, and 31st Avenue South East and South Meridian.

The areas were identified by the police department where there are collision concerns. The intersections are also areas the department receives a high number of complaints about drivers violating traffic laws, he said.

“It’s just a matter of where we thought we could do the most impact,” Thompson said.

When a motorist drives through the stop line while the light is red, they could be ticketed with running a red light, according to the Puyallup Police Department.

Drivers caught running red lights will be mailed a ticket for $124. The ticket does not count as a moving violation and does not go against the person’s driving record.

“It’s treated like a parking ticket,” Thompson said.

However, if a police officer pulls someone over for running a red light, the ticket is treated as a moving violation, he said.

The camera system should allow officers to concentrate on other issues, Thompson said.

The system takes a photo of the vehicle when it enters the red light intersection, when it’s in the intersection and a photo of the license plate. It also makes a digital video of the all the actions that whoever is ticketed can review online through the vendor when they get the ticket.

The data is then sent to the vendor for processing, then sent to the police department so an officer can verify that an infraction has occurred.

The officer will be from one of the non-street units. Thompson said.

“We won’t be taking officers off the street,” he said

A warning period will go into effect once the system is active. It not only gives the department the opportunity to test the system, but gives drivers a chance to be informed the monitoring is in place, Thompson said.

The city looked at systems in Seattle, Lynnwood, Lakewood, Tacoma and Auburn as city’s who have used the systems.

One thing other jurisdictions have noticed are that just having the systems deter drivers from running red lights in intersections throughout the city, said Interim City Manager Gary McLean.

“It makes people more likely to respect red lights in other intersections,” he said.

The cost of the system is nothing, McLean said. Money collected by tickets that are issued pay for the use of the camera system, with a percentage going to the city.

While the system is in place, the city will be collecting data to see if the camera system is actually reducing collisions. An accurate set of data should be available within six months to one year, McLean said.

That data will be presented to the city council and then they will determine whether or not to continue the use of the camera system.