Randy Rice got quite a surprise recently when he received a $158 ticket through the mail from the New Port Richey Police Department for running a red light.
"Living paycheck to paycheck like I am, you come home on a Friday, imagine that," said the New Port Richey resident.
The ticket stated that he had run a red light at the intersection of U.S. 19 and Main Street on Sept. 2. The piece of paper included two dark photos of his car and license plate.
Rice said he didn't remember running a red light, so he went online to take a close look at the pictures. When he pulled up the website, he discovered the cameras also captured video. What he saw shocked him.
"I saw clearly the light was green," he said.
The video shows Rice's blue Hyundai SUV in the far left lane of traffic going through a green light. The camera flashes twice as he rolls through the intersection.
"Right away now I'm thinking, well, What do you do?" he asked. "Do you fight city hall or what?"
The back of the citation included language Rice found to be intimidating. It clearly states that anyone who decides to fight a ticket is subject to $500 in extra fines and court costs. But Rice decided the video evidence would clear him, so he called a customer service number listed on the back.
"A lady answered the phone, and said, 'Yes sir, you're absolutely in the right here.' "
He was relieved to get his ticket dismissed so easily, but Rice was concerned there could be a problem with the cameras. It also bothered him that the police department didn't catch the mistake before the ticket was mailed.
"If one person is falsely accused, and they pay it without looking into it, just assuming that the city is doing the right thing, then that's a big problem with me," he said.
The video shows Rice's blue Hyundai SUV in the far left lane of traffic going through a green light. The camera flashes twice as he rolls through the intersection.
"Right away now I'm thinking, well, What do you do?" he asked. "Do you fight city hall or what?"
The back of the citation included language Rice found to be intimidating. It clearly states that anyone who decides to fight a ticket is subject to $500 in extra fines and court costs. But Rice decided the video evidence would clear him, so he called a customer service number listed on the back.
"A lady answered the phone, and said, 'Yes sir, you're absolutely in the right here.' "
He was relieved to get his ticket dismissed so easily, but Rice was concerned there could be a problem with the cameras. It also bothered him that the police department didn't catch the mistake before the ticket was mailed.
"If one person is falsely accused, and they pay it without looking into it, just assuming that the city is doing the right thing, then that's a big problem with me," he said.
The police department looked into Rice's case.
Lt. James Steffens said there is a comprehensive system in place to screen each ticket. The city's red light cameras are operated by a company called American Traffic Solutions, based in Phoenix.
ATS downloads all the alleged infractions taken by the cameras. ATS employees do an initial review of the photos before sending it along to law enforcement. Once the ticket reaches the police department, another officer inspects the photos before the ticket is sent out to the driver.
Steffens believes Rice's ticket somehow slipped through the cracks.
"We have to be the best we can be each and every day," he said. "When we do make an error, a human error, we have to make sure it doesn't happen again."
New Port Richey installed red light cameras in June. The department has received approximately 13,000 alleged infractions from ATS. Officers have rejected more than 6,000 of those tickets. Steffens said it's a sign the system works.
"We haven't had this happen before. We're very cognizant of the sensibilities involved here," he said.
Charles Territo, vice president of communications for ATS, confirmed Steffens's assessment of the case.
"There are always humans involved in this process," Territo said. "Where there are humans, there's the potential for error."
Territo reviewed Rice's video. He said it appears Rice's tire may have crossed the white line and triggered a sensor in the left turn lane.
"The camera did what it was supposed to do, it sensed a vehicle was close to a lane where it could potentially violate a traffic law," Territo said.
But screeners at ATS, or the police department, should have caught the mistake.
"That's why the video is sent to the offender," he said. "That video can be used to either show innocence or guilt, and in this case it's clear the video was used to exonerate the driver."
Rice is glad he took the time to investigate the ticket, but he's not happy the ticket found its way to his mailbox in the first place.
"If they're going to enforce these red light tickets, then they need to be perfect in my opinion," he said.
nshepherd@wfla.com (813) 225-2703
http://www2.tbo.com/news/pasco-news/2011/sep/28/1/pasco-man-gets-ticket-in-mail-for-going-through-gr-ar-261590/
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