April 19, 2010 - A highly charged topic was presented to council last week by our police chief. At issue is whether to utilize cameras to photo and ticket people who run blantantly red lights. This wouldn't be targeted at those who dash through yellows but rather those who chose to enter an intersection after the light has turned red. There are a number of issues surrounding this and are certain to cause strong opinions to come out. Proponents say it will enhance safety by reducing accidents at high traffic intersections through fear of a ticket. They also claim it is a more cost effective manner to provide public safety than hiring additional officers. Opponents will claim that it causes more rear end accidents, is a violation of privacy and is nothing more than a government money grab. Communities are wrestling with this currently as Des Moines is considering it, Clive may be expanding theirs and recently, Urbandale council said they had no interest in this. What do you think? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
