PoliceLink

News >> Browse Articles >> Law Enforcement News

A Referendum On Red-Light Cameras?

HOUSTON, TX – Two lawyers suing over the Houston’s red-light camera program contend that a judge’s order to release more than 150 internal city documents will pave the way for a citywide referendum to end the program next year.

Paul Kubosh and Randall Kallinen filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s refusal to release 208 documents they requested under the Texas Public Information Act, many of them internal city communications and e-mails to and from the camera vendor, relating to last year’s city-sponsored study of the effectiveness of the camera program.

State District Judge Tracy Christopher has ordered the city to release 160 of 208 contested documents, ruling the city legal department presented no evidence they should be withheld under the law’s exceptions for attorney-client privilege or the deliberative process. Since the program began in May 2006, the city has issued 607,000 civil citations and collected $21.4 million.

“What this lawsuit will end up doing with the release of these documents, it will help prove once and for all what the red-light camera program is all about. It’s about revenue,” said Kubosh, standing on the steps of City Hall. “This is not about safety, it does not increase safety. Robert Stein told the city of Houston officials, in e-mails, that red-light cameras do not increase safety in these intersections.”

Kubosh was referring a study of the camera program that was released Dec. 22, 2008, by Rice University professor Robert Stein and the Texas Transportation Institute. The study found that while collisions increased at the intersections monitored by cameras, they did so at a lower rate than at un-monitored locations.

Stein said the city’s red light vendor, ATS of Arizona, did not attempt to influence the findings or methodology of the study.

“We found the program was not as effective as it had been in many other cities. We found that collisions were increasing at all intersections, but at a much slower rate at the cameraed intersections,“ Stein said, adding, “We thought the program was worth the investment.”

City attorney Arturo Michel said the city likely would not appeal the order, noting that many of the documents had been added as exhibits to motions filed in court.