Photo Radar comes to Globe

By: Linda Gross

The Globe City Council  voted last month, 3-2 to install photo radar in the city of Globe. The vote came after hearing public comment which ranged from concerns about Big Brother , and a perception that the cameras represent a violation of rights… to destroying the quality of small town life. Despite the emotions which ran high at the meeting, the effort of the Mayor and Council to stay the course and move forward with the contract to Redflex is grounded in a belief that a limited number of photo radar units will actually serve to protect small town life by making streets and roads safer for all who live and work in the area, as well as visitors who come here. They point to such dangerous stretches of road as the curve on Hwy 60 near DeMarcos where people pulling out into traffic have to compete with poor visibility and drivers going – on average- 20 miles over the 45mph posted limit.

According to Police Chief Dan Melvin there have been 585 accidents, 231 injuries and 4 deaths. And on Ash Street alone, where the High School borders the Highway there have been 123 accidents and 32 injuries. This is especially problematic since most people driving through our community are not aware of the High School and the likelihood of student pedestrian traffic.

Melvin acknowledged that he was initially against photo radar for some of the same reasons cited by local citizens; invasion of privacy, Big Brother etc. However. once he took a tour of the Redflex headquarters in Phoenix and did some additional research on the issue, he became supportive of the cameras. “Just consider the value to a local merchant of security cameras in his store. If someone steals merchandise, he has it on camera. We don’t consider that invasion of privacy. How is it that we consider cameras on public roads to catch speeders and red-light runners an “invasion of privacy?”

As for the argument that the cameras “make people guilty before they are tried, Melvin explains that the two options you have when handed a ticket by an officer is (1) pay the ticket as it stands or (2) go to court and argue your case. Drivers will have exactly the same options with tickets issued by photo radar. The term “reasonable and prudent” is used in applying the law and refers to the idea that if it is two in the morning and you are clocked at 60 instead of 45, it might be the reasonable and prudent thing to ignore the “violation.” The discretion of those reviewing the “violation” will be viewed the same whether it is photo radar or a uniformed police office which clocks you at 2am.

Melvin points to statistics which show accidents have decreased in areas which have photo radar. That, plus freeing up officers to pursue other issues which truly require one-on-one intervention from domestic violence calls to drug busts.

Globe Mayor, Fernando Shipley initiated the review of Photo Radar for the city after talking with the mayor of Star Valley, a relatively new community in Northern Gila County. Mayor Bill Rappaport reported a drastic reduction in speed on one stretch of highway which had a posted speed limit of 45. Prior to radar being installed the average speed on this stretch was 82 mph and there had been 8-12 accidents. Rappaport said after the cameras went in the average speed dropped to 43 and accidents fell by half. The community also receives revenue from the tickets which was another hot items in the public debate. Some felt the city was doing this just for the money.

While the income stream was not overlooked in reviewing the program for the local area, the program was first and foremost initiated because of its ability to reduce accidents and force people to slow down when going through our community.

City Manager, Kane Graves, negotiated a five year contract with Redflex with a one year “easy out”, whereby the City has the option of backing out of the contract with no penalties should they feel the program did not meet their expectations for any reason. This caveat gives both detractors and supporters of photo radar one full year to review the real-time data collected by Redflex on the local area instead of relying on stats from other communities (like Star Valley).

Since the mere mention of  Photo Radar conjures up such a love/hate battleground where successes and failures are held up by both sides as proof-positive that they are right and the opposition is wrong, the advantage of a year long trial basis – which is what the one-year “easy out” option- really is all about, gives some breathing room to both sides to get some much-needed facts on how the program works in our community.

Here is how it will work:

On the issue of Safety:

The Globe Police department has identified the most dangerous sections of road in the area. They include the stretch of Ash/Hwy 60 which borders Globe High School, the intersection at Hwy 60 and Main (Oak Realty), the intersection at Hwy 60 and State Rte 188 (Judy’s Cookhouse), the intersection of Hwy 60/70 and the entrance to the Historic District at Ash & Broad Street. (Entrance at the train trestle) and Hwy 60/70. Photo Radar will be installed at four of these locations and a fifth- mobile unit- will be moved around and used to address other problem areas as needed.

On the issue of Citations & Enforcement

The cameras will only record drivers going 11 miles or more over the posted speed limit. The tape on all “possible citations” will first be reviewed by three Redflex employees to determine extenuating circumstances such as “Did the driver have to accelerate to pass a large truck? Or did construction in the area obscure signs” etc. After the tapes are reviewed and approved by Redflex, they are sent to the City to be reviewed. The process will be handled by a Globe police officer or a trained and deputized individual. If the City approves the evidence submitted only  then will Redflex send out citations to the drivers. Tickets will be based on the existing rate structure – ie, higher fines for higher speeds- but Redflex takes $35 (or about 25%) and the balance of the citation is divided between city,county and state – as are all court fees. The monies received by the City for this program “will go into the general fund and be prioritized in addressing the needs of the community.”

On the contract and upfront costs

Redflex will incur all upfront costs of the program including (5) cameras and all administrative and field personnel required to maintain and manage the program. The costs of each camera is estimated at $150,000 and with the added overhead of personnel and oversight of the program it is estimated that the company will put out nearly $1 million the first year with no guarantee the contract will make it past that time period.

Redflex, which is an Australian company, has operated in the United States for nearly 20 years and employees over 400 people at their headquarters in Phoenix. According to their website, they have provided photo radar services to 240 communities in 21 states throughout the United States and hold the contract with Star Valley which was negotiated through the County two years ago. The contract which the City of Globe negotiated with Redflex drew on a joint agreement between the County and City which allows the City to take advantage of contracts negotiated by the County. This meant City Manager, Kane Graves, could “tag on” to the county agreement which has a preferred rate over any current rates.