City Lists Details Of Sketchy Red-Light Camera Ticket Review Process
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 25, 2014 2:00PM
Image via NBC Chicago screen grab.
The Chicago Department of Transportation revealed on Thursday the steps by which it will review over 9,000 red-light camera tickets suspiciously issued during spikes at certain locations in the network, while Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the growing scandal was unacceptable.
According to the Tribune, starting Friday CDOT will begin sending out letters to motorists who received tickets from the affected cameras detailing how they can request a review of their violation and possibly qualify for a $100 refund.
Motorists will have 45 days to request a review of their ticket within receipt of the letter and must submit the request via phone, email, snail mail or in person. Once submitted, an outside auditor will review “all available information” within 30 days of the request and make a determination. That information will include video from the cameras and still photos, if video is no longer available.
If the evidence does not prove a traffic violation occurred, drivers will receive a refund. At a news conference Thursday, Emanuel said he was “angry” at the situation and said the city needs to work to regain the public trust as a result of the Tribune’s investigation revealing the spike.
“There should be no inequity in the system. There should be no aberration. And a company, even though it’s a small percentage less than one percent, it has to be 100 percent right for there to be trust.”
The Sun-Times reports the city is now holding weekly meetings with the current contractor managing the red-light camera network, Xerox State & Local Solutions, Inc., updating the city on any abnormalities in the system. The spikes occurred during Redflex Traffic Solutions’ scandal-marred management of the red-light camera network. The Tribune reviewed over 4 million red-light camera tickets issued from 2007 through last year and found over 13,000 were issued as a result of unexplained spikes in ticketing at specific locations, either as a result of a technical snafu or possible human manipulation of the cameras.