(The Center Square) – Approximately nine years after the City of St. Louis discontinued using cameras to catch drivers running red lights, it’s accepting proposals for more advanced technology.
Board Bill 105, known as the “Automated Camera Enforcement Act,” was signed into law by Democrat Mayor Tishaura Jones in April. It authorized contracts for installation of automated camera enforcement systems. The new technology systems, along with upgrades to main roads in the city, will be paid for with approximately $48 million in funds from the federal pandemic American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
“It’s completely unacceptable when drivers speed through red lights and we are using every tool in our toolbox to curb this destructive behavior,” Jones said in a statement announcing the request for proposals.
The 22-page bill noted red light violations dropped 63% in the city from 2007 to 2013. Several court cases led the city to discontinue using the technology in 2015 as defendants argued the city couldn’t prove they were driving the car at the time of the alleged violation.
In addition to capturing the date and time of the alleged violation and the elapsed time under the red light, the new system must record the speed of the vehicle and produce video footage of the incident, according to the request for proposal. The system must produce at least four high-resolution color digital images. The images must show the front or back of the vehicle involved before the alleged violation, after the incident, the license plate of the vehicle and the face of the operator of the vehicle.
Jones also signed an executive order earlier this year to ensure proper transparency and accountability when using surveillance technologies for law enforcement and public safety. The order requires the police commissioner to provide an annual report on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s use of surveillance technology to the board of aldermen committee on public safety.
The police department’s most recent surveillance report, published in May, stated $1.6 million in ARPA grants were used to purchase mobile camera trailers.
This bill stated automated camera traffic enforcement systems are used by approximately 330 municipalities in 22 states.
“We can change the laws, but we need your help to change the culture,” Jones said in a video posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after she signed the bill into law.
Applications for the project are due Aug. 19 and a tentative date to select the vendor is Aug. 23.