Supporters of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s red light camera program say it can prevent crashes and get people to think twice before running red lights.
Others call the city’s 41 cameras a new way to make money.
Action News Jax investigated the program using JSO's own data, dating back to the beginning in Oct. 2013, to see if it’s deterring drivers from running red lights.
We calculated the average number of tickets per camera each month since the beginning of the program.
After an initial drop-off the first few months, it doesn’t appear there is a consistent pattern to indicate fewer people are running red lights now.
“I think sheer numbers don’t tell you anything because you don’t know how many people you’re getting for the first time,” said JSO Director of Patrol and Enforcement Ray Walden.
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Walden said he evaluates whether the city’s red light camera program is working through anecdotal evidence.
Jacksonville driver Will Oglesby said those red light camera fines made a difference for him.
“Oh yes, I drive different now. Because they got me three times,” said Oglesby.
Jacksonville driver Bertha Lewis said the red light cameras caught her two times, but it hasn’t changed her driving habits.
“No. I don’t think so,” said Lewis.
A report from the state shows crashes are going up at Florida intersections with red light cameras.
A bill in the State Senate to get rid of red light cameras died in committee in March.
The cameras cost nearly $2 million a year to operate, plus more than $400,000 paid by taxpayers for the four officers assigned to the program.
The fines made the city more than $367,000 in profit last fiscal year.
[ Document: Red light camera personnel costs ]
Document: Redflex operating costs by fiscal year
[ Document: Information breakdown on red light cameras (.xlsx file) ]