Red light Enforcement

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Red light Enforcement

• Enforcement lights
• A simple tool for safer highways.
• Prepared by Lieutenant Steven Burch (ret.)
• Clearwater Police Department

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Problem

• Tampa Bay area is one of the worst locations in
  the nation for red light running.
• In 2000, 114 motorists were killed in Florida due
  to red light running.
• Red light running is one of several violations
  associated with aggressive driving.

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Judicial Requirements

• Officer must see the color of the light facing
  the violator.
• Officer must be able to see the stop bar.
• The officer must be able to testify to the
  violators vehicle and its distance from the stop
  bar at the time of the red signal.

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Traditional Enforcement Method

• Officers traveling the same direction of the
  violator, see violation and attempt to effect a
  stop.
• Officers monitoring a direction see a violation
  and attempt a stop.

• Required officers to use lights and siren to
  attempt to clear cross traffic.
• Dangerous to the officers and other motorists.

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Observer Method

• Spotter officer sets up to monitor one specific
  direction of an intersection.
• Chase officers set up downstream of the
  intersection.
• Spotter calls out violators to chase car(s).

• Spotter must hand off the vehicle to the chase
  car.
• Spotter is limited by the number of chase cars.
• Generally can only monitor one direction at a
  time.

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Enforcement lights

• Richardson Texas has 42 intersections equipped
  with enforcement lights.
• Seven additional cities in Texas use this
  technology.
• Inexpensive, non intrusive technology -no
  pictures.
• All red light violators will face the same
  penalty.

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Enforcement Lights

• White light fixture is wired into the red circuit
  of the signal head.
• Power to the red light sends power to the white
  enforcement light.
• Officers can tell signal color from different
  angles.

• Officers can safely conduct enforcement.
• Allows for opportunistic enforcement.
• Officers can monitor more then one direction at a
  time.

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Installation Process

• Joint assessment team of local law enforcement
  and engineers evaluate each location.
• Locations must have a history of red light
  violations.
• Locations must facilitate safe access to the
  violator and a clear view of the stop bar.
• Clearwater currently uses Pelco SM-0287-42-SS
  Fixtures.

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Guidelines

• Officers must understand the concept and basic
  layout of each intersection.
• For preplanned operations the officers should
  observe the intersection before conducting
  enforcement.
• Check to ensure all red lights are coordinated
  with the proper enforcement light.

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Guidelines Continued

• Set up where both the enforcement light and stop
  bar for the direction monitored can be seen.
• Monitor the enforcement light, when it activates,
  shift focus to the stop to detect a violator.
• Safely effect the stop.

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Guidelines Continued

• After familiarization, an officer may conduct
  opportunistic enforcement when violations occur.
  
• In these cases Officers should return to location
  to confirm the system is working in the proper
  order.

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US 19 and SR 60
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Results continued

• FDOT has adopted the enforcement light concept as
  part of the five year safety plan.
• In late 2002, two additional intersections were
  added. In 2003, traffic crashes in Clearwater
  dropped 6.7 percent.
• In 2004, 8 additional intersections were added in
  Clearwater. Three more are slated for
  installation
• Currently, there 100 intersections covered by
  enforcement lights in the Tampa Bay area.

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Contact Information

• Chief Steven Burch
• Crystal River Police Department
• 123 NW Highway 19
• Crystal River, Fl 34428
• [phone]
• sburch_at_crystalriverfl.org