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<br />Cities questioning future of red-light cameras - South Florida Sun-Sentine1.com <br /> <br />Page 3 of 4 <br /> <br />Data remain split on whether the cameras save lives. Fort Lauderdale's data <br />cast doubt on that. But a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway <br />Safety showed that cameras in 14 large cities in other parts of the country <br />reduced the rate of fatal crashes by 24 percent between 1996 and 2004. <br /> <br />Other leaders are satisfied. Hallandale Beach loses money on the cameras <br />each month, but the city is happy to go out of pocket for safety, said Antonio. <br /> <br />"It's no different than a regular traffic citation," he said. "They don't make <br />money. " <br /> <br />A TS is baffled by the focus on cash flow. <br /> <br />"On one hand we're criticized when the cameras generate revenue," ATS's <br />Territo said, "and on the other hand we're criticized if they don't generate <br />revenue. These programs first and foremost are about safety. What other law <br />enforcement programs are judged by the amount of revenue they generate? <br />Traffic patrols are some of the most costly services law enforcement agencies <br />perform. " <br /> <br />Some leaders think the cameras just need to be given time. <br /> <br />"This is the birth pains of something that should be noncontroversial," said <br />Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo, who feels the cameras are <br />worth their cost. "We've got some officials walking around like we're <br />handcuffed to a dead dog with this program. I don't understand that when <br />we're saving lives." <br /> <br />PC:lJmB~gGhmCQlJQty has fewer cameras than Broward or Miami-Dade. Most <br />red light programs in P_'llQLB_~<l~lLC_Q_lJnty are just a few months old, with the <br />exceptions of West Palm Beach and Palm Springs. West Palm Beach's <br />program has issued 1,527 tickets while Palm Springs' has handed out 2,709. <br /> <br />Meanwhile, challenges to the tickets continue to trickle into the courts. <br /> <br />Since July 1, 2010 - when state law made the programs legal - 786 <br />challenged tickets have been dismissed in Broward and 44 challenged tickets <br />were upheld. In Palm Beach County just under 400 tickets have either been <br /> <br />http://www.sun-sentinel.comlnewsllocal/fl-ats-red-light-cameras-deal-20 11 0706,0,517510... 7/13/2011 <br />