They’re Watching You: The Media Awakens

Gurnee police are tweaking their public presentations on red-light cameras so those in attendance know the devices are constantly providing a live video feed of intersections. At the first of three forums on photo enforcement Wednesday, part of the evening at village hall featured what was called fact and fiction about the cameras. The concept of the cameras running at all times was listed as fiction. In response to audience questions, the crowd was told the cameras are asleep and activate only when a vehicle drives through a red light.

But Gurnee police crime prevention technician Tom Agos, who led the presentation, said he later inquired with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. and received clarification on the cameras. Gurnee will pay $38,000 a month to Redflex for coverage at four intersections, with the system set to go live later this month.

Agos said a high-resolution, digital still camera is triggered only when a vehicle runs a red light at an intersection, capturing a rear license plate in the process. Redflex also has a low-resolution, streaming video feed of intersections that always runs but isn’t supposed to capture images of red-light violators.

“Low resolution” regarding the constant video recording is a blatant lie per Redflex’s own literature, which states: “SMARTCAM Performance features… High-resolution digital imaging at 10 bits per channel, giving 1 billion colors, 65dB dynamic range giving excellent image contrast

Sustainable imaging rates at two frames per second or better…”

Streaming video from red-light cameras is opposed by an anti-photo-enforcement group that contends 24-hour-a-day surveillance of the public is unwarranted.

“Can you remember where you were driving two years ago?” CameraFRAUD volunteer James DeCash wrote in an e-mail. “Redflex can, and if the video is subpoenaed in court, you might have some explaining to do about where you were, what you were doing and who you were associating with.” CameraFRAUD started in the Phoenix area and now has chapters in Maryland, Virginia, Louisiana and Washington, D.C. The organization has plans for branches to fight red-light cameras in Illinois, Florida and Missouri.

Redflex spokeswoman Shoba Vaitheeswaran refused to answer a question about the streaming video Friday.