Dothan city leaders consider traffic cameras

Robert “Bobby” Smith Jr. ran a family owned business called Smith Hardwood Flooring in Dothan for years.

But last year Pete Smith took over the family business after his dad died in a fatal car crash on Ross Clark Circle in Dothan. Police called a motorist running a red light a major contributing factor to the crash.

Sixteen months after the three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Hodgesville Road and Ross Clark Circle that claimed two lives, including yjr 53-year-old Smith the city of Dothan is considering the installation of traffic cameras at some intersections across the city.

“I’ve gone through something pretty tragic. My dad got killed at a traffic light last year,” Pete Smith said. “I think in the beginning it will help law enforcement, and I think it will slow things down around the circle.”

Dothan police Maj. Steve Parrish said two of the five fatalities last year in Dothan included people running a red light, both which involved the same crash at Hodgesville Road and Ross Clark Circle. Tom Edward Grace , 78, of Dania , Fla. , who was a passenger, in a car that collided with a pickup driven by Smith, Jr. , also died in the crash.

Smith said the traffic cameras could’ve provided police with video of the crash that killed his father. Dothan police Lt. Todd David said no one was charged in that crash after a grand jury no billed it.

“I’m not that old now I’m 33, and I’ve been around Dothan my whole life. I’ve sat at that very same traffic light when I was little and I saw somebody run the light,” Smith said. “I agree with it with completely. I think it could straighten people up a little bit.”

Dothan Police Chief Greg Benton said the number one complaint the department receives from the public is about people running red lights.

The Dothan City Commission recently heard a presentation about traffic cameras from a company called American Traffic Solutions or ATS. Benton said a study recently completed by ATS suggested 28 intersection approaches warranted a traffic camera.

“We’re just in the preliminary stages right now. Just because we’re doing the research doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” Benton said. “We have a problem in Dothan, and we’ve done the research. It’s the desire of the police department that it moves forward for public safety.”

Red Light Violations

Parrish said through the first seven months of the year police responded to 85 motor vehicle accidents involving the failure to yield at a red light, with 47 of those involving property damage and 11 involved critical injuries. He also said through the first six months of the year police officers wrote 170 citations for running a red light.

Parrish said he contacted ATS a couple of months ago about their cameras. But he said that does not necessarily mean the city commission will choose ATS for Dothan. He said the company chosen by the city will also likely be responsible for the installation of the cameras.

Parrish said the traffic light cameras will not only help police investigate crashes at intersections, but could also provide additional video after any bank robberies near the intersection.

He said a police officer will review each violation from a computer to validate it before a citation is issued, and mailed to the motorist. He said the registered owner of the vehicle will receive the ticket, and will be able to view the video of the violation at a website.

“We’re not going to be photographing the driver,” Parrish said. “We’re also going to have to set up an appeal process.”

Parrish said motorists currently pay $178.50 for running a red light, but he said they would recommend as part of the program that the ticket cost be lowered to around $100. He said they will also recommend a 30 to 45 day grace period, during which motorists who receive tickets through the program will not be required to pay their ticket.

“We want to educate the public,” Parrish said. “We’re just trying to save lives.”

He said as part of the program would likely include a posted sign at each intersection identifying it as having a traffic camera.

Parrish said if a motorist receives a ticket for running the red light because of the traffic camera it would not go against their insurance.

If the car is rented and caught running a red light then Parrish said the rental company will receive the citation, which he said is often then passed on to the customer.

Benton said if implemented the program could also help reduce a departmental manpower problem by allowing officers to continue to respond to the more 500 calls for assistance they receive per day.

“I don’t have the manpower to keep officers at intersections writing red light tickets,” Benton said.

Parrish said the top five busiest intersections in the city of Dothan that are likely potential candidates for a traffic camera, which include intersections on Ross Clark Circle, from West Main Street, to Montgomery Highway, to Reeves Street, to East Main Street and South Oates Street.

“We’d expect to see a 30 percent reduction in right angle collisions after the first year,” Parrish said.

Parrish has also spoken with police departments in Montgomery, Wilmington, N.C., and Scottdale, Ariz., where their departments already use the red light cameras. He said only two cities in Alabama use the red light cameras, which include Montgomery and Selma.

Montgomery police Sgt. Donna Mackey said the city of Montgomery started using the traffic cameras in April 2008. She also said the city also recently added another traffic camera this month bringing their total to 10 cameras at 10 intersections, which she said all include a sign at each intersection.

“The number of intersection-related accidents at these areas have gone down tremendously,” Mackey said. “They’re helping keep our citizens safe.”

Jim Bodenmiller, the city manager for Springfield, Ohio, said the city of Springfield, which he said has a population of about 65,000 people, has used traffic light cameras since late 2006. He said Springfield uses 17 cameras at 10 intersections across the city.

“It seemed like it took a year and a half to get the message that if they’re going to run a red light then they’re going get a ticket,” Bodenmiller said. “Our goal was to reduce the violators and accidents.”

Bodenmiller said the city issued about 1,500 citations per month from all their cameras during the first year, and in 2010, it dropped by more than half to 648. He said motorist must pay a $100 fine if caught running a red light in Springfield.

As a result of the traffic cameras he said the city saw a near 50 percent drop in traffic accidents at the monitored intersections from 92 in 2007 to 48 in 2010.

Bodenmiller also said after they received several proposals from other companies they decided to use Redflex Traffic Systems for their traffic camera program.

“We chose Redflex because we thought they best met our needs at that time,” Bodenmiller said. “They had done several other similar programs in Ohio, and we looked at their technology and we were comfortable with the way their system works.”

Clay Ingram, the spokesperson for AAA Alabama, said AAA of Alabama believes traffic light cameras should be a last resort after other alternatives have been exhausted. Ingram said some of those alternatives include engineering studies on the timing of traffic signals, like the length of a yellow light at intersections. He also suggested looking into evaluating whether all obstructions are cleared from the view of the roadway near intersections, and having warning signs of a stop light prior to a motorist’s arriving at a busy intersection.

“It’s sort of a Pandora’s box of potential problems. Those things can very easily become revenue generators instead of safety measures,” Ingram said. “We feel like a police presence is the best way to increase safety at potentially dangerous intersections.”

Ingram said a traffic light camera company made a presentation to the city’s governing body in Birmingham two years ago. Ingram said he later testified in front of that same governing body about the cameras, and the city later decided against using them.

Another potential problem Ingram talked about included how the ticket for a red light violation is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle not necessarily the driver. He said the citation could get really interesting if someone is driving a company or government vehicle.

Ingram said AAA also often suggests the citations during the traffic camera program be mailed to the violator within 10 days.

“It can in certain situations be helpful in public safety. It can be a good thing if you have tried other measures, and you’re still really having a high rate of accidents at certain intersections,” Ingram said. “If it’s done the right way for the right reason, and by the right people then it can be a valuable safety measure.”

Time line

Dothan City Commissioner Hamp Baxley said before the city could bring the cameras to Dothan the city commission must pass a resolution asking state legislators to change the violation from a criminal traffic violation to a civil violation.

Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz said the city commission will likely take the next couple of months to accumulate research on the traffic cameras. He said the city likely won’t be required to hold any public hearings before a vote, but he said the commission may hold one anyway to hear from residents.

“We’re going to take our time, look into and talk to the community before we go forward,” Schmitz said.

Baxley said he’s received about a half dozen calls from concerned residents about the cameras, most of which he said were satisfied after he talked to them.

“I’ve gotten a handful of calls from some people who are adamantly opposed. Really the main concern is the big brother aspect. They want a live cop making the ticket,” Baxley said. “I’ve explained to them my understanding this is a system that a live Dothan police officer makes the determination and approves the ticket to be sent.”

Baxley said if voted on and sought by the city commission it would likely be a year before the city of Dothan would see the cameras in action.

But Baxley also said he’s concerned about whether it would open the door for other civil matters to be heard in city municipal court.

“I’m a lawyer, and I look at these things from a legal standpoint. Our misdemeanor court is set up for strictly misdemeanor criminal violations,” Baxley said. “The safety aspect of it is what’s really attractive about something like this.”

Benton said he hopes it reaches state legislators by January 2012.

“I hope it’s passed that so that behaviors would be changed, and the roadways will be safer for the citizens,” Benton said. “If it can save one life then it’s worth it.”