Nearly 600 drivers flagged in first month of Pasco red light cameras
PASCO, Wash. — After nearly a month of monitoring two Pasco intersections with red light cameras, Pasco Police released the numbers of drivers they’ve flagged with warnings over the past 27 days.
According to Capt. Jeff Harpster, Pasco Police have identified nearly 600 drivers running red lights at North Road 68 and Burden Blvd and at W Court St and N 20th Ave.
“I don't understand a reason other than trying to create a revenue stream for the city,” said Pasco resident Todd Verhei.
According to Pasco police, those are two of the most dangerous intersections in the city, and it’s difficult for officers to patrol those areas safely.
In just 27 days Pasco police sent out 175 warning letters. 418 more warnings are pending due to an issue getting license plate data with the red-light cam provider.
“There was a data conversion that wasn't happening correctly,” Capt. Harpster said.
The city says the nearly 600 drivers flagged was expected.
“Looking at the analysis that we did prior to installing the cameras, I think it's right on what we expected,” Capt. Harpster said.
Pasco drivers say the city picked the right intersections to focus on, but they're not sure red-light cameras were the way to go.
“They should have done a traffic study and figured out if there was a traffic realignment possible because the design of the intersection itself is leading to part of the problem,” Verhei said.
“There's a lot of drivers that don't pay attention so there's more chances of accidents a lot of reckless drivers too,” Cynthia Carrillo, Pasco resident said.
The city is set to start ticketing drivers from the cameras in the coming days.
When tickets are issued they will be 125 dollars.
