Story posted Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Waiting On Power Hook Up To Activate Red Light Cam
Park Ridge is still waiting for ComEd to hook up power to the red light camera at Oakton Street and Northwest Highway.
"We may have electricity tomorrow," said Commander Lou Jogmen on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Once the cameras have power, crews will calibrate the equipment for one or two days then officially start the 30-day warning period. During that time, people who go through the red light at the intersection will be mailed warning notices instead of tickets.
"We want to give everybody as much notice as we can," Jogmen said. Signs are already posted at the intersection, giving drivers additional time to adapt to the camera.
Only one of the four approaches is covered by a camera: the westbound approach on Oakton. If a car triggers a violation by passing the white line when the light is red, the camera's flash goes off as it takes a snapshot of the vehicle and it begins recording.
That footage is immediately uploaded wirelessly to RedSpeed, the city's contractor for the cameras. There, employees of the Lombard-based company review the pictures. "They weed out any that are clearly not a violation," Jogmen said, including footage triggered by funerals or ambulances. RedSpeed uses a three-level review process before selecting what it thinks are legitimate violations.
RedSpeed will then send the pictures to the Park Ridge Police Dept. where sworn officers review the information and make a final determination if a ticket should be issued. If police agree to issue a ticket, RedSpeed sends the tickets to the address connected to the vehicle's license plate. Drivers should typically receive their ticket within one week of committing the violation, Jogmen said.
Drivers then have 21 days from the date of the notice to contest tickets by mail, request a court date to contest them in person during adjudication hearings at Park Ridge City Hall, or pay the fine.
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