1,000 Police Violations Issued In Montgomery Twp. By New Technology

MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, PA — Montgomery Township's newly implemented traffic cameras have recorded more than a thousand violations that were later approved by officers in their first month of operation, according to police records.

The new automated red light enforcement system went into place in Montgomery Township on March 14, and has since recorded a total of 1,043 approved violations.

Also known as an ARLE system, the traffic cameras are designed to detect and then record vehicles that enter an intersection after the traffic signal has turned red.

Cameras then record the vehicle's license plate and identifying characteristics of the car. The violation is sent to police, who approve it before a citation is issued to the vehicle's owner.

It's similar to technology used by the North Penn School District and Montgomery Township police on school bus stop arms, where cameras record the license plate of vehicles that swing around stopped buses and endanger children.

While numerous leaders from across the aisle in Pennsylvania have spoken out in support of the technology, there is also significant pushback.

Automated systems are not perfect, and far from it, in some cases. In one survey of red light violation cameras in Pennsylvania, the accuracy rate was as low as 3 percent, according to an Inquirer investigation.

Beyond the inaccuracies in the technology, other critics point to cameras less as a safety enforcement technique and more as a way for local governments to make more money.

The nonprofit Fines and Fees Justice Center argued in a report that automated systems do not improve community safety on the whole and also disproportionately impact communities of color.