Fairfield RTM Resists Calls To Pause Speed Camera Program

FAIRFIELD, CT — The Representative Town Meeting rejected a proposal Monday night to pause Fairfield's controversial automated speed camera program while agreeing to create a committee that could recommend changes to the town ordinance governing the devices.

Monday's meeting drew hours of public comment from residents sharply divided over the cameras, with opponents raising concerns about privacy, fines, signage and the program's rollout. Supporters said the cameras are reducing speeding and argued that suspending them just before the start of school could undermine public safety.

The RTM voted 29-9 against an amendment from District 1 Representative Melissa Longo that sought to halt use of the automated traffic enforcement safety devices beginning Aug. 26 while an ordinance drafting committee reviewed the program.

Longo said the pause was warranted because the town should reconsider how the program was implemented.

"I wouldn't have had to be here to make this amendment if we did it right the first time, and we didn't," Longo said. She said the town owed residents a more thorough review after receiving substantial public feedback.

District 3 Representative Myke Harriman, who said he opposes the cameras, also opposed Longo's amendment because he did not believe it would accomplish the goal of ending the program.

"I think we need to, as a body, undo the legislation, and I don't think that's accomplished by what's proposed," Hartigan said. He said the proposed drafting committee was the appropriate mechanism for changing the ordinance.

A procedural question also emerged over what effect Longo's amendment would have had. Moderator Margaret Horton explained that the RTM has authority to enact, amend or repeal the ordinance, but that pausing operation of the existing program would ultimately be an operational decision for the town.

After rejecting the pause, the RTM approved the original resolution creating an ordinance drafting committee. The vote opens a formal process for considering revisions to the speed camera ordinance.

Under the process described at the meeting, the RTM's special legislative and management committee is expected to populate the drafting committee in September. The new committee would then develop proposed revisions, which would undergo town attorney review before proceeding through the RTM's legislative process.

Residents suggested several subjects for the committee to examine, including whether cameras should operate only during school hours, whether flashing warning lights should be added, whether fines and processing fees should be reduced, how citation revenue is used and whether motorists should have more time to appeal tickets.

The debate exposed a broader disagreement over whether automated enforcement is an appropriate way to address speeding.

Fairfield Police Chief Michael Paris defended the program as another tool for reducing speeds while allowing officers to concentrate enforcement efforts elsewhere. Paris said automated enforcement cannot replace police officers but can supplement their work.

First Selectperson Christine Vitale also opposed pausing the program, stressing that the cameras were changing driver behavior. She argued that stopping them as schools reopen could create confusion, and added that revenue from the program would help cover its costs and support road-safety improvements, including sidewalks, paving and other measures.

Vitale nevertheless supported having the RTM reconsider parts of the ordinance, including its reporting requirements and fine structure.

District 4 Representative Liz Zezima, one of the sponsors of the drafting committee resolution, similarly opposed the pause. She said Fairfield needed additional data, particularly once schools reopen, to determine how the program is working.

Supporters of the cameras repeatedly pointed to a sharp decline in violations. Vitale said earlier in the meeting that the town had seen an 88 percent decrease from the first day of the warning period through the end of July.

Opponents argued that lower speeds alone do not settle questions about privacy, enforcement, signage and whether less intrusive traffic-calming measures could accomplish the same goal. Residents suggested alternatives including speed humps, raised crosswalks, flashing school-zone lights and increased police enforcement.

Several RTM members opposing the program focused particularly on privacy.

District 9 Representative Amanda Morgan said she accepted that the speed cameras differ from license plate-reader systems that have also generated controversy, but said she remained concerned about government collection of vehicle location information.

"The privacy concerns I have about the speed cameras are slightly different, more nuanced," Morgan said, adding that she believed those concerns remained significant even if other members concluded that the demonstrated reduction in speeding outweighed them.

Hartigan said he would vote against continuing the program because he considered it too intrusive and preferred traditional police enforcement. District 10 Representative Matt Ambrose and District 2 Representative Scott Bisang also cited surveillance concerns in opposing the cameras.

Other representatives said the demonstrated reduction in speeding justified keeping the cameras operating while the ordinance is reviewed.

District 6 Representative Emma Barron said she would support continuation because she believed the data showed the program was reducing speeding in vulnerable areas.

"A committee to review and improve this program is not an admission that it failed," Barron said. "It's a commitment to keep doing the work and doing it transparently."

District 9 Representative Dru Georgiadis also supported continuing the program while adding safeguards, citing years of constituent complaints about speeding and road safety.

The RTM ultimately moved to a separate resolution asking members to confirm the town's automated traffic enforcement plan and its continuation as submitted to and approved by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

That motion was approved 25-12.

Click here to view the agenda from Monday's meeting; backup materials can be viewed here.

Video of the meeting can be viewed here.