Chicago’s first red-light cameras were installed in 2003. Today, there are about 50 positioned at intersections throughout the city, with more cameras on the way. This is not including other government and police cameras placed through-out the city. Over 2,000 all together.

The vast majority of the 210,000 people who received red-light camera tickets between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 simply paid the $90 fine without protest. But of the ones who tried to beat the rap, 90 percent failed, according to figures from the city’s Department of Revenue.

“You can’t beat these tickets,” Chicago Police Officer Clyde Hudson said after he pleaded his own case, where a photo of his car going through a red light to avoid a rear-end accident was mailed to his residence, this past week during an administrative hearing at 400 W. Superior. “This is just a way for the city to make money.”

More than 6,000 people who were ticketed between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31 requested an in-person hearing before an administrative law officer, who weighs vehicle owners’ testimony against photos and video footage of the alleged violations. Only 9 percent of those people were found not liable, according to the city’s figures.

Just a handful of defenses will work, such as proving that a vehicle was stolen or leased to another person at the time of the offense, said city Law Department spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyle.

But red-light tickets can’t be challenged on the basis that the vehicle owner wasn’t driving, because the courts have upheld the legality of other ordinances that hold people responsible for offenses committed with their property.

Yet, the lack of a gray area when it comes to who is found liable makes Nicole Watson, of Oak Park, see red.

Watson contested her ticket, because she said the photos that were mailed to her home show her going through a light that looks yellow, not red.

“In the picture, my tail light is red, but the light is clearly yellow,” Watson said. “It’s frustrating because that’s their evidence, but the evidence doesn’t support the claim.”

$12.5 million in fines collected.

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The city of Capitola, California admits that it issued at least $9525 in bogus red light camera citations this month. The Santa Cruz Superior Court notified the police that their failure to review citations issued by red light camera vendor ATS allowed 25 duplicate citations, each worth $381, to be issued.

This was not the first time the city has allowed improper citations. In January, the city had allowed 134 citations worth $51,054 to be issued despite the lack of required information on the ticket. In December, an ambulance driver had to go to court to have a ticket reversed even though the photograph clearly showed his emergency lights were active.

Other cities in Santa Cruz County are now exploring the possibility of using photo enforcement. Superior Court Assistant Executive Officer Roy Blaine explained to the Sentinel that these cities are looking to expand their budgets with cameras.

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The [Arlington, Texas] Police Department got the green light Tuesday to install cameras at 10 of the city’s most dangerous intersections. The cameras will photograph red-light runners, and eventually, police hope, cut down on fatal accidents, Police Chief Theron Bowman told the City Council.

The cameras will be operational by February, police said.

Since 2003, red-light violations have led to six fatalities and 1,508 collisions in Arlington, police said.

Several other Texas cities have implemented red-light cameras, such as Garland, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett and Frisco.

Bedford, North Richland Hills, Dallas, University Park, McKinney and Farmers Branch are also considering the idea.

Each camera would lead to 20 citations per day, Bowman said, with net revenue expected to exceed $3.8 million.

Garland installed the cameras at four intersections in 2003. Since then, crashes related to red-light violations have declined by 50 percent. (Texas Transportation Institute study says otherwise)

Bowman also said the Federal Highway Administration reports a 25 percent average decrease in crashes after installation of photo traffic enforcement systems. (That’s just FALSE!)

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Knoxville’s first red light camera snapped dozens of red-light runners in its first few days. They’ll get off with a warning this time. But starting May 24, violators will face $50 fines.

That could mean big money for the City of Knoxville and Redflex, the camera company, based out of Austrailia (the money isn’t even staying in America!). That’s one reason critics say they’re not here for safety.

“Photo Cops” in Minneapolis captured images of t-bone wrecks and ticketed 26,000 violators in eight months. Then the American Civil Liberties Union sued. “You’re automatically guilty of a crime, and that’s just wrong,” MN ACLU spokesperson Chuck Samuelson said.

A Minnesota judge recently shut the cameras down.

“Here we had a tool that worked, it reduced accidents by 16 percent,” Lt. Greg Reinhardt of the Minneapolis Police explained.

These red light camera studies prove otherwise.

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Cleveland, Ohio is expanding its lucrative red light camera and speed camera program to include the confiscation of cars. The city council is considering an “emergency” ordinance to make it a crime to own a vehicle that “displays license plates that are associated with four or more of any combination of unpaid parking infraction judgments and/or notices of liability for… or red light or speeding violations.” The guilt or innocence of the owner to the original charge is irrelevant to the city.

The proposed ordinance also blocks the renewal of car registrations for anyone the city claims has not paid all fines. It also allows the city to contract with private bounty hunters to collect on unpaid tickets. The cash-strapped city is looking to these private contractors to collect millions in outstanding fines.

Under the proposed ordinance, seized vehicles will only be released if the owner admits guilt and pays towing, storage, impound and administrative fees on top of cost of the original tickets. Cleveland Police have already admitted that they do not review all photo enforcement tickets for accuracy before the private vendor ACS issues them. The city plans to make $4 million a year from camera tickets.

Last August, a judge in Albuquerque, New Mexico struck down a similar camera seizure ordinance as unconstitutional.

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