Letter: Photo enforcement

How can we view red light cameras as anything other than a revenue generating scheme when Chief Prieto says TPD’s top concerns are street racing and street takeovers. I would add speeding in general to her list. Red light cameras do little or nothing to stop these violations. If City Council wants photo enforcement, bring back the mobile speed camera vans. Move them around, but don’t publish their locations. Have penalties on a progressive scale based on speed ranging from increasingly high fines to revoking drivers’ licenses to impounding vehicles and jail time. Focus on safety, not revenue. Speed cameras are something some red light camera haters, like myself, could get behind. Speed cameras will still require voters to repeal Prop 201, but they actually sound like a safety initiative, not a money grab. Speed cameras have a better chance of voter approval than predatory red light cameras.