The response to my letter.

Last Saturday I filled out one of those automated comment sheets at the City of Glendale's website. I was just dipping my toe in the water to see what their stance was on this issue.

Here is the information I posted:


Date Submitted: 6/26/2010 7:56:54 PM

Subject: Traffic violations

Service Address:

Request: In response to the traffic citation I received for $529 for a right turn on red. I am organizing a boycott on the City of Glendale until the red light cameras are removed and the City finds a more just way to deal with traffic violations.

Facebook now has a page and I've started a blog.

I' m looking into this matter and after one day, I have discovered I' m not the only citizen that is angry and feels violated. As a consumer I will not shop in Glendale and I will let the local businesses know.

Requested Resolution: Remove all Red Light Cameras, stop dealing with Arizona based company, Redflex and remove my ticket.

Shame on you Glendale. Your contract with Redflex isn' t even legal.

And here is their response:

Hello Ms. Shea,

Thank you for contacting the City of Glendale with your concern. The City of Glendale and the Glendale Police Department have a longstanding tradition of proactive efforts to improve traffic safety. Over the years the City focused its efforts on education, enforcement, and engineering changes all designed to reduce the number of people injured and the total number of traffic collisions. Over the past four years, in addition to its involvement in the education and engineering efforts, the Police Department has shifted to a data/intelligence driven model for its traffic enforcement efforts and has sought ways to increase the effectiveness of its existing resources.

In 2007, the City Council authorized a pilot project for the use of photo red light enforcement, and Redflex was selected as the vendor after an evaluation process. The project became operational in April of 2008 and ultimately expanded to cover several intersection approaches. The enforcement systems are located at Glendale/Broadway, Pacific/Colorado, Mountain/Verdugo, and Los Feliz/San Fernando (2 approaches). The intersections were selected based upon accident history, traffic volumes, field observations, and the difficulty of providing traditional enforcement at the particular intersections.

An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that compared with all other types of urban crashes, those involving signal violations are the most likely to cause injuries. This same study found that running red lights and other traffic controls is the most common cause of urban crashes.

Local governments lack sufficient resources to adequately enforce traffic signal laws without photo red light enforcement. The most obvious problem is that police officers cannot be everywhere at once. It is simply impossible for officers to continuously monitor an intersection with the uninterrupted focus of a photo red light camera. Another important consideration is the potential danger associated with police officers following red light runners through heavily congested intersections. The pursuit of red light runners can pose a serious risk for motorists, pedestrians, and police officers. Many cities in the area, including the Cities of Los Angeles, Pasadena, Arcadia, and Montebello, have also installed red light cameras to help enforce red light violations.

Each violation is reviewed by a specially trained Glendale Police Officer from the Traffic Bureau prior to a citation being issued. The officer confirms the elements of the violation, confirms the plate is readable, the driver is identifiable, and the officer must actively affirm that the citation is to be issued. The City's vendor may NOT proceed on any violation without the direct authorization of one of these police officers. If a defendant pleads not guilty to the violation, one of these officers will be summoned to the court trial to prove the elements of the violation, just like any other citation that would be issued in the field. The officer will bring photos and video of the violation to the court for viewing by the defendant and the judge.

Any questions regarding this program can be directed to the Glendale Police Department’s traffic office at (818) 548-2845, or at the Traffic Office, on the 1st floor of the Police Department, located at 131 N. Isabel St.

Best regards,

Christine Baboomian
Administrative Associate
Management Services
City of Glendale
(818) 548-4844

If you need additional information about this request, please contact Neighborhood Services Division, (818) 548-3700. We are proud to be of service to you.

There are a few things I have to say about this email.

1) I'm not surprised that they would hide behind their excuse of looking out for public safety. I'm sure they hired "specialists" to tell them that these cameras were to be installed with that idea in mind. The National Motorists Association posted 5 different studies showing that this wasn't the case.

http://blog.motorists.org/red-light-cameras-increase-accidents-5-studies-that-prove-it/

2) There was no response to my statement about Boycotting Glendale. I can see I'm going to have to tell them again. I've survived a whole week without Glendale. I'm sure you can too!

3) There is no mention of why the citation costs so much and how they came up with that figure. I do not see how the punishment fits the "crime". Had an officer pulled me over (but, no, he would be endangering himself and everyone on the road) the fine would had been @$149 with no point on my record. For that amount of money I would have paid and gone away.

4) I liked the subtle intimidation tactic Ms. Baboomian uses in mentioning the police department. They are "specially trained." (Like the officer went to picture reading school or something.) The officer is summoned to "prove" that I made the violation. This is, of course, after I've paid the fine. I wonder how long they reap the interest gaining benefits of the fine before I get it back. I find so much of this practice to be a subtle form of bullying. Get a pack of authorities and gang up on a citizen.

5) There is no mention about the legality of their contract with Redflex. Nor is there a response about the supposed boycott of the State of Arizona. If you are going boycott something, you should at least commit 100%. I'm boycotting Glendale. That doesn't mean I make an exception for The Americana.

I knew this issue wouldn't be solved with just one email. But it was interesting to read the prefabricated response they are putting out. And it was mostly interesting concerning what they did not answer.

This is a multi-faceted undertaking that will take some time. Next stop is the Chamber of Commerce, I think.

Update

I think I may have touched a nerve. I'm finding that I'm not alone in my frustration with Glendale and the other cities that support the red light cameras. Since Saturday:

1) Boycott Glendale Facebook group has 52 members. The support has been amazing!
2) I have an invitation to be on The Worst Show on The Web radio program from host, Kurtis Bedford.
3)I have evidence that may dismiss my ticket.
4)Received an email from Charles Walter of the National Motorists Association in support of our cause. There's lots of great information on their site. You can find them at: www.motorists.org
5) A few of you are following my blog!! YAY!

And Now:

THE EVIDENCE!!
I discovered that most states require photo enforcement notification signs at least 300 feet prior to the intersection. Here are the pictures of the sign posted prior to the intersection of San Los Feliz and San Fernando. The signs are obstructed by over-grown trees. Bless those trees!

Not that I'm really that paranoid but I think it's best to print these pictures and mail them to myself just in case they trim those trees or doubt the validity of them. What do you think??




















Other than that, I timed some of the yellow lights in the area. The intersection at Los Feliz and San Fernando yellow light is slightly faster than the surrounding intersections. Glendale in general has faster yellow lights, faster than neighboring Burbank that allows a whole 4 seconds to negotiate the intersection. Imagine! I'll post the video once I put it together. It's not rock solid evidence but it does show a subtle kind of entrapment.

More than just the issue of my own personal citation I feel it is necessary to continue probing into this matter. Yes, I said 'probing'. It's important to fight this invasion of privacy and fascist policing of good citizens. I will have to pay my ransom of $529 before I even get to state my case.

This infers that I am guilty until proven innocent. What is this? An electronics store?

This is what oblivious looks like. Caught on camera. I had just purchased a Father's Day gift for my husband and was off to the drug store to pick up a few items on the corner of Los Feliz and San Fernando in Los Angeles's bastard child town of Glendale.

I had a choice that day. Do I drive to Pasadena or to Glendale? My thinking was like this: I could go to the Best Buy on Los Feliz. I knew there was a drug store a few blocks away where I could pick up the few items I needed. So Glendale it was.

As I approached the intersection of San Fernando and Los Feliz, the light turned yellow. I had a few moments to decide whether or not I could make the turn before the light turned red. I thought I could make it. It seemed feasible at the time.

Three seconds, maybe less. That's what you get. In that small purgatorial time between green and red, I had the time to evaluate an important question: To go or not to go? It's simple. Do I slam on my brakes or drive through the light? We make decisions like this everyday. I had no idea how much that small decision could potentially cost me.

It's a good thing that I'm not followed by cameras 24/7. At least not yet. Then I could show you what anger looks like. It's not pretty. When my husband showed my the citation that arrived in the mail yesterday, it wasn't pretty. I experienced a whole range of emotions. First, confusion, then bewilderment and a few others that eventually led me directly to feelings of betrayal and then ultimately anger.

Anger. A most powerful emotion, one I try to avoid. Yet anger does provide us with a few gifts. Anger can lead one to action. Anger can be that friend that tells me to get off my ass and take a stand, do something!

Evidently according to the citation I received, at .43 seconds into the red light I had committed my crime. I had made the decision to drive through the yellow and cross over into the land of red. There was no friendly officer there to point out my poor judgment and ask me to be more careful. Just a quick flash that acted as judge and jury slamming me with a $529 fine a nasty point on my DMV record. My permanent record.

I find this a most unfriendly way to treat consumers. I had just spent $200+ on gift and sundries. Traffic court requires you to pay the fine even if you contest it. You are guilty until proven innocent. Then on top of all of this we being monitored by an outside company that benefits from your misfortune.

Is it possible that all of this is done in the name of safety? Well, that's what they say. Yet at most of these camera points the yellow light time has been adjusted to give us less time to react. It's been proven to cause more accidents and of course more citations, which means more money for a few lucky ones.

So I'd like to invite you all to join me on the journey of getting to the bottom of all of this. I have until August 9, 2010 to decide if I'll contest this ticket. I hope to examine the crime scene myself, see if there are any loopholes surrounding my own ticket and most importantly let the city officials of Glendale know that this is not an acceptable way to treat people.

So for now the first order of business is to:
BOYCOTT GLENDALE