Merced’s red-light cameras have racked up nearly a thousand citations since they were installed in late April.
Two cameras at the intersection of R Street and West 16th Street yielded 978 citations from May to October. Police also issued 106 violation notices, or warnings, through mail.
The city installed the cameras the week of April 21 in partnership with Verra Mobility to prevent crashes at the intersection. The cameras face the eastbound and westbound traffic lanes. The first 30 days were a warning period, so no citations were issued.
“This isn’t about making money. This is about reducing crashes. Everybody thinks we’re gonna make millions off this thing. We’re not,” Merced Police Chief Steven Stanfield told The FOCUS.
Reckless driving and traffic-related deaths prompted the city to install red-light cameras. Residents aired concerns at a town hall last January over dangerous driving behaviors.
City officials did not provide how much money the city has collected from tickets issued as a result of the red-light cameras. In California, fines can cost drivers hundreds of dollars depending on the state and local fees.
Merced City Council unanimously approved installing the red-light cameras at a June meeting last year. City officials signed a five-year agreement with Verra Mobility a month later, according to a contract obtained through a records request.
Verra Mobility is a national traffic safety company that partners with cities such as Merced — plus larger ones, such as San Francisco — to install traffic cameras.
Money from citations is used to pay for the cameras, which cost $126,000 annually, or a monthly cost of $5,250 per camera, according to the contract. Citations are issued through the mail and paid directly to Merced Superior Court.
Any leftover funds from citations will go toward the police department’s general fund, police officials said.
District 5 councilmember Sarah Boyle has been a vocal supporter of the red light cameras.
“While cameras can’t physically stop someone from breaking the law, they create accountability, making drivers think twice before running a light, knowing they could be cited,” Boyle wrote in an email to The FOCUS.
The cameras take photos and video of the suspected red light violation, Stanfield said. Footage includes still pictures of the driver, the infraction and license plate.
Red-light violations include not stopping fully at the intersection before turning right, or driving through the intersection during a red light.
Not every violation the cameras record results in a citation.
Once the red-light cameras capture a suspected violation, a police officer on the traffic unit verifies it. Initially, the cameras captured 1,595 violations. An officer reviewed the footage and identified 1,210 violations.
Permitted exceptions included emergency personnel who ran a red light, Stanfield explained. Police verified 126 exceptions, meaning drivers were not issued a citation.
Violation notices were sent to businesses for vehicles who ran a red light, he said.
The police department monitors red light citations separately from the traffic tickets data published online.
Stanfield anticipates growing the red-light cameras program in the new year. In the future, he’d like to see the cameras all over Merced.
“We need to make sure all areas of Merced have safe driving,” he said.